A major political storm has erupted within Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, following explosive allegations by the campaign organization of Ned Nwoko against former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over the conduct of the Delta North Senatorial APC Direct Primaries.
In a strongly worded official press statement issued on May 18, 2026, the Director General of the Senator Ned Nwoko Campaign Organization, Hon. Samuel Ekene Kerry, accused Dr. Okowa of “gross violation” of party directives and called for his immediate disqualification from the senatorial primary process.
The statement alleged that the former governor “connived with elements within the primaries conducting panel” to orchestrate what it described as an “illegal declaration” of himself as winner of the Delta North Senatorial Primary Election, despite clear directives from the APC National Leadership that no results were to be officially announced until proper collation and verification had been completed by the National Working Committee (NWC) in Abuja.
According to the campaign organization, the APC National Organising Secretary and the Office of the National Chairman had expressly instructed that all results from the National Assembly Direct Primaries must pass through established verification procedures before any declaration could be made.
“The directive was unequivocal, unambiguous, and binding on all aspirants, electoral committees, and stakeholders,” the statement declared.
The Nwoko camp insisted that authentic ward-by-ward results allegedly showed Senator Ned Nwoko as the rightful winner of the primary election, adding that the senator and his supporters deliberately refrained from making premature declarations out of respect for party supremacy and internal democratic processes.
The statement accused Okowa of choosing “the path of desperation, lawlessness, and political manipulation,” describing his alleged actions as a direct attack on the integrity and credibility of the APC.
In one of the most politically charged sections of the statement, the campaign organization revisited Okowa’s controversial role in the 2023 presidential election cycle, accusing him of betraying Southern political interests after previously supporting power rotation to Southern Nigeria during meetings of Southern Governors held in Asaba while he served as governor.
The organization argued that Okowa’s acceptance of the vice-presidential slot under a Northern presidential candidate in 2023 contradicted the principles he had publicly championed regarding Southern political unity and equity.
The statement further claimed that only the political strength and strategic leadership of Bola Ahmed Tinubu prevented what it described as potentially severe constitutional and regional consequences for Nigeria.
Escalating its demands, the Nwoko Campaign Organization called on the APC National Working Committee to immediately nullify the declaration allegedly announcing Okowa as winner of the Delta North primary, sanction electoral officers involved, and formally disqualify the former governor from the process.
Among the key demands listed were:
Immediate rejection of the purported declaration in favor of Okowa;
Disciplinary action against officials accused of violating party directives;
Disqualification of Okowa for alleged misconduct and disobedience;
Recognition of what the organization called the “authentic and lawfully collated results” showing Ned Nwoko as winner.
The statement described the controversy as a defining test of the APC’s commitment to internal democracy, discipline, fairness, and party supremacy.
Political observers say the dispute could deepen tensions within the APC in Delta State and potentially trigger wider legal and institutional battles over the legitimacy of the primary election outcome.
