Senator Ned Nwoko has urged the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to protect what he described as the mandate freely given to him by party members in the Delta North Senatorial District, insisting that he defeated former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, in 97 of the 98 wards during the party’s senatorial primary election.

Nwoko made the claim in a statement issued through his Media Office in Abuja, where he called on the APC National Working Committee and the party’s leadership to resist any pressure aimed at overturning the outcome of the primary election.

The senator maintained that he won the APC senatorial primary election conducted across Delta North by a wide margin, securing approximately 123,000 votes against the 6,000 votes he said were recorded by Okowa.

According to him, any attempt to overturn the wishes of party members who participated in the exercise would amount to a disregard for their democratic rights and could negatively affect the fortunes of the party in the district.

“Subverting the mandate freely given by APC members who turned out in large numbers to participate in the primaries would amount to an abuse of their wishes and sensibilities. Such an action could undermine the confidence of party members and supporters who believe in the democratic process,” he said.

Nwoko further claimed that the outcome of the primary election could be independently verified through extensive video evidence obtained from the wards where the exercise was conducted.

“I defeated Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa overwhelmingly in 97 of the 98 wards, and I have video evidence from across the district to support the outcome. Are authenticated video recordings from 98 wards not more credible than figures allegedly concocted by a panel appointed by the governor who is openly working for Okowa?” he queried.

The lawmaker urged the APC leadership to ensure that justice is done and seen to be done by protecting the integrity of the primary election process and respecting what he described as the mandate freely given to him by party members across Delta North.

Nwoko also rejected what he described as a “self-imposed and propagandist declaration of victory” by Okowa, arguing that such a declaration was contrary to established party procedures.

He recalled that before the primary election, the APC National Organising Secretary had outlined the official process for the collation and declaration of results, including ward collation, local government area collation, constituency collation and final submission to the party’s National Headquarters.

“The authority to collate, authenticate, and declare the results of the primary election rests solely with the appropriate organs of the APC National Leadership. Any premature declaration of victory is contrary to party guidelines and amounts to an attempt to influence public perception ahead of the completion of due process,” he stated.

Nwoko further argued that the support he received from APC members reflected their confidence in his legislative performance and his commitment to advancing the interests of Delta North, particularly his advocacy for the creation of Anioma State.

He also highlighted his longstanding commitment to the APC, noting that he joined and worked for the party before the defection of Okowa and other political actors from the Peoples Democratic Party.

The senator expressed confidence that the APC national leadership would uphold what he described as the truth and ensure that the final outcome reflects the choice made by party members across Delta North.

“The future of our party in Delta North depends on the confidence of our members that their votes count and that their voices will not be silenced by political manipulation. I trust the National Leadership of our great party to uphold the truth, protect the democratic process, and affirm the mandate freely given to me by APC members across Delta North,” he said. (LEADERSHIP)

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