The Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of betrayal and reneging on its promise to give him automatic ticket.
Recall that in the party primaries held on May 18, the former Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, polled 113,309 votes to defeat Nwoko who got just 2,612 votes.
Nwoko, in an interview on ARISE Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, revealed that an automatic ticket was one of the entreaties offered by the APC to woo him and facilitate his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Nwoko said he was surprised at the loss, adding that he was given repeated assurances by former APC chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, that he would be the party’s candidate in the 2027 general elections.
The Senator further alleged that the May 18 election was rigged in favour of Okowa stressing that there is evidence to prove that he was the rightful winner of the polls.
He said: “I was definitely told before I came into the party that there would be an automatic ticket for me. Why would I just leave like that without making sure I got a safe ride?
“We were told there would be discussions on the new structure of the party, and we believed there would be some power sharing formula. “We had meetings with leaders of the party and we were assured that there will be some sharing formula, power sharing formula. For example, we were even told that the state EXCO would be dissolved and that there would be nominations to allow the old APC to get a foothold into the government.
“We won the primary. All Ifeanyi Okowa did was to show proof of just one ward where there was a problem. I witnessed. I have the proof. I’ve got the video. You cannot make an innocent person say, I am guilty. It’s impossible. We won in the primary in 98 wards. No, I could not have gotten his ward. It would be foolhardy of me to think I would win his ward.”
