Fresh controversy has engulfed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State after the campaign organisation of Senator Ned Nwoko accused former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of allegedly violating party directives during the Delta North Senatorial APC Direct Primaries.
In a strongly worded statement issued on May 18, 2026, the Director-General of the Senator Ned Nwoko Campaign Organisation, Hon. Samuel Ekene Kerry, alleged that Okowa acted contrary to instructions from the APC national leadership regarding the announcement of primary election results.
The statement accused the former governor of allegedly collaborating with some members of the primary election panel to secure what it described as a premature declaration of victory in the Delta North Senatorial Primary Election.
According to the organisation, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had directed that all results from the National Assembly direct primaries be subjected to collation and verification in Abuja before any official declaration could be made.
“The directive was unequivocal, unambiguous, and binding on all aspirants, electoral committees, and stakeholders,” the statement said.
The Nwoko campaign maintained that results collated from wards across Delta North showed Senator Ned Nwoko as the rightful winner of the exercise, adding that the senator and his supporters deliberately refrained from making public declarations out of respect for party supremacy and due process.
The organisation further accused Okowa of allegedly undermining the integrity of the party through what it termed “desperation, lawlessness, and political manipulation.”
In a politically charged section of the statement, the campaign revisited Okowa’s role in the 2023 presidential election, alleging that his acceptance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice-presidential ticket under a Northern presidential candidate contradicted earlier resolutions by Southern governors advocating a power shift to Southern Nigeria.
The statement argued that the former governor’s political decisions at the time ran contrary to the principles of Southern political unity and equity, which he had previously supported during meetings of Southern governors in Asaba.
The Nwoko campaign also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, claiming his emergence in 2023 helped stabilise the country politically and constitutionally during a tense national period.
Raising the stakes in the ongoing dispute, the organisation called on the APC National Working Committee to nullify any declaration said to be in favour of Okowa, sanction electoral officials allegedly involved in the process, and disqualify the former governor from the senatorial primary contest.
Among its demands were:
- Immediate rejection of the alleged declaration in favour of Okowa;
- Disciplinary measures against officials accused of violating party directives;
- Disqualification of Okowa over alleged misconduct and disobedience to party instructions;
- Recognition of what it described as the “authentic and lawfully collated results” allegedly showing Ned Nwoko as the winner.
The organisation described the unfolding controversy as a major test of the APC’s commitment to internal democracy, fairness, discipline, and party supremacy.
Political analysts believe the dispute may further heighten tensions within the APC in Delta State and could trigger prolonged legal and political battles over the legitimacy of the Delta North senatorial primary outcome.
