ASABA/Nigeria: A fresh political crisis has engulfed the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State as the campaign organisation of former Delta North Senator, Ned Nwoko, called for the disqualification of former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, over the contentious Delta North Senatorial direct primary election.
The Senator Ned Nwoko Campaign Organisation alleged that Okowa violated party directives and improperly emerged winner of the primary, insisting that authentic results from the exercise showed Nwoko as the rightful winner of the contest.
In a statement issued on May 18, 2026, and signed by the Director General of the Senator Ned Nwoko Campaign Organisation, Hon. Samuel Ekene Kerry, the group accused the former governor of “gross violation” of APC guidelines and demanded his immediate disqualification from the senatorial primary process.
The organisation alleged that Okowa “connived with elements within the primaries conducting panel” to facilitate what it described as an unlawful declaration of himself as winner of the Delta North Senatorial Primary Election, despite an alleged directive from the APC national leadership that results should not be announced pending collation and verification by the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
According to the statement, the APC National Organising Secretary and the Office of the National Chairman had directed that all National Assembly direct primary results be subjected to established verification procedures before any official declaration.
“The directive was unequivocal, unambiguous, and binding on all aspirants, electoral committees, and stakeholders,” the statement noted.
The Nwoko camp maintained that ward-by-ward results from the exercise allegedly indicated that the senator won the contest, adding that he and his supporters deliberately refrained from making public declarations in deference to party supremacy and due process.
It further accused Okowa of embracing “desperation, lawlessness and political manipulation,” arguing that such actions undermined the credibility and integrity of the ruling party.
The statement also revisited the former governor’s role during the 2023 presidential election, accusing him of abandoning the Southern governors’ position on power rotation after accepting the vice-presidential ticket under a Northern presidential candidate despite earlier support for power shift to Southern Nigeria.
The organisation argued that the decision contradicted the principles of Southern political unity and equity earlier championed by Okowa during meetings of Southern governors held in Asaba while he served as governor.
It further claimed that only the political leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu prevented what it termed wider constitutional and regional consequences arising from the development.
Escalating its demands, the campaign organisation called on the APC National Working Committee to nullify the declaration allegedly recognising Okowa as winner of the Delta North primary, sanction officials involved in the process and formally disqualify the former governor.
The demands included immediate rejection of the declaration in favour of Okowa, disciplinary measures against officials accused of violating party directives, recognition of what it described as authentic results favouring Nwoko, and Okowa’s disqualification over alleged misconduct.
The organisation described the unfolding controversy as a major test of the APC’s commitment to internal democracy, party discipline and fairness.
Political observers believe the dispute may further heighten tensions within the APC in Delta State and potentially open the door for legal and institutional battles over the legitimacy of the primary election outcome.
