Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of betrayal.
According to him, the party promised him an automatic ticket before he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) but failed to honour the agreement.
Nwoko, who joined the APC in February 2025, made the revelation while reacting to his overwhelming defeat in the Delta North APC senatorial primary held on May 18, 2026.
According to official results, former Delta State Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa polled 113,309 votes to defeat Nwoko, who scored 2,612 votes, while a third candidate, Mariam Ali, got 40 votes.
Speaking in a recent interview, Senator Nwoko said he was assured of an automatic return ticket by top APC leaders before he left the PDP. “I was 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 that I have a secure ride? So that promise was broken basically,” he lamented.
The senator further alleged that the primary process was manipulated in favour of Okowa by the Delta State Government, claiming he has video evidence from all 98 wards showing he actually won the election. He has vowed to present the evidence to the APC national leadership and has already approached the party’s Primaries Appeal Committee for a review of the result.
However, some APC chieftains have dismissed Nwoko’s claims. Norbert Sochukwudinma, SSA to the APC National Chairman on Local Government Affairs, described the primary as free, fair, and credible, stating that Okowa won decisively and that Nwoko lacked strong grassroots support in the party.
Nwoko’s defection from PDP to APC and subsequent loss has generated mixed reactions, with many political observers describing it as a major setback for the senator, who had hoped to return to the Senate under the ruling party’s platform for the 2027 elections.
As tensions continue within the Delta APC, all eyes are on how the national leadership of the party will handle Nwoko’s petition and the growing internal crisis in the state chapter.
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