“Ned Nwoko Stayed Away But Expected Victory” — APC Official Mocks His Defeat

Delta North Senator, Ned Nwoko, has come under criticism from a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress following his reaction to the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary election in Delta State.

Senior Special Assistant to the APC National Chairman on Local Government Affairs, Norbert Sochukwudinma, faulted Nwoko for rejecting the result of the exercise after losing the party’s return ticket to former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme on Wednesday, Sochukwudinma said the senator failed to build strong ties within the party structure ahead of the primary election but still expected victory at the polls.

According to him, party politics requires active participation and close engagement with grassroots leaders, stressing that Nwoko allegedly distanced himself from party activities before the exercise.

“Nwoko stayed away from the party and expected victory,” he said.

He added that aspirants seeking electoral success within the APC must maintain relationships with party executives and stakeholders across the local government areas.

“Anyone seeking to win an election must engage with party structures, yet he never consulted the nine local government party chairmen or leaders,” Sochukwudinma stated.

The APC chieftain also dismissed claims that the primary election was manipulated, insisting that only accredited party members participated in the voting process.

“Only card-carrying APC members are eligible to vote, and party politics is not show business,” he added.

Sochukwudinma further argued that Nwoko was clearly defeated in the contest and alleged that some figures being circulated online did not reflect the official outcome announced by the party.

“From the available evidence, Senator Ned Nwoko was clearly defeated, and some of the results circulated online were fabricated and not official,” he said.

“In fact, I was surprised he even secured over 2,000 votes.”

Politics Nigeria earlier reported that Nwoko had rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging that the process was manipulated by the Delta State Government. The senator maintained that he was the rightful winner of the election and accused unnamed forces of interfering with the process.