Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja
Member representing Delta North Senatorial District in the Senate, Senator Ned Nwoko has called on the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to demonstrate its commitment to justice, fairness, and transparency by resisting any pressure aimed at overturning the mandate given to him by party members of the Delta North Senatorial District.
Nwoko, in a statement issued Sunday by his Media Office maintained that he won the APC Senatorial Primary Election conducted across the Delta North Senatorial District by a wide margin, securing approximately 123,000 votes against the 6,000 votes garnered by former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
“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 added that it would amount to unresisted callousness to subvert the clearly expressed wishes of party members in his Senatorial District through the substitution of genuine votes with manufactured and dubious figures being promoted by his opponents.
He noted that any attempt to overturn the wishes of thousands of APC members who participated in the primary election would amount to a disregard for their democratic rights and could negatively affect the fortunes of the party in Delta North.
The lawmaker urged the National Working Committee and the national leadership of the APC to ensure that justice is done and seen to be done by protecting the integrity of the primary election process and respecting the mandate freely given by APC members across the Delta North Senatorial District.
He added: “The outcome of the exercise can be independently verified through extensive video evidence obtained from the wards where the primaries were 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?”
Nwoko rejected what he described as a “self-imposed and propagandist declaration of victory” by Okowa, arguing that such a declaration violates established party procedures.
The Senator recalled that before the primary election, the APC National Organising Secretary had clearly outlined the official process for 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.
