Delta North Senator Ned Nwoko has asserted that he defeated former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the state’s All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial primary election.
In a statement issued through his Media Office, Nwoko urged the APC’s national leadership to defend what he characterised as the freely given mandate to him by party members.
He added that he defeated Okowa in 97 of the party’s 98 wards during the senate primary election, and he urged the APC National Working Committee and party leadership to oppose any effort to alter the primary election results.
The lawmaker 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.
He believes that any attempt to reverse the wishes of party members who participated in the exercise would be a violation of their democratic rights and could have a negative impact on the party’s fortunes 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 stated.
Nwoko further asserted that the primary election results could be independently validated using comprehensive video evidence gathered from the wards where the exercise was held.
“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 enquired.