Senator representing Delta North senatorial district, Ned Nwoko, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of betrayal and reneging on its promise to give him an automatic ticket.

The former Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, polled 113,309 votes to defeat Nwoko, who had only 2,612 votes in the party primaries on May 18.

Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, Nwoko stated that an automatic ticket was among the entreaties offered by the APC to woo him and facilitate his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Expressing surprise at the loss, Nwoko maintained that he had received repeated assurances from former APC chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, that he would be the party’s candidate in the 2027 general elections.

The Senator further alleged that the May 18 election was rigged in favour of Okowa, stressing that there is evidence to prove he was the rightful winner of the polls.

He said, “I certainly was told before I came into the party there would be an automatic ticket for me. Why would I just leave like that without making sure I have a secure ride?

“I, myself and others were promised that there would be discussions on the new structure of the party, and we believed that there would be some power-sharing formula. We had meetings with leaders of the party and we were assured that there would be some sharing formula, power-sharing formula. We were even told, for example, that the state EXCO would be dissolved and that there would be nominations to enable the old APC to get a foothold into the government.

“We won the primary. All Ifeanyi Okowa did was to show evidence of just one ward where there was an issue. I was there. I have the evidence. I have the video. You cannot convince somebody who is innocent to say, I am guilty. It’s not possible. We won the primary in 98 wards. No, I couldn’t have won his ward. It would be a foolhardy of me to think I would win his ward.”