Senator Ned Nwoko, loser of the All Progressives Congress Delta North senatorial primary election, has accused the ruling party of betrayal, claiming APC reneged on a promise to give him the party ticket.

Former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa polled 113,309 votes to defeat Mr Nwoko who had only 2,612 votes in the party primaries on May 18.

But Mr Nwoko, 65, claimed the May 18 election was rigged in favour of Mr Okowa, asserting he had evidence to prove he was the rightful winner of the polls. He vowed to pursue justice and a review of the exercise.

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

The senator implied he did not expect to lose the ticket having obtained repeated assurances from former APC chair Abdullahi Ganduje, who allegedly promised to make him the party candidate at the 2027 general elections.

He noted that the “automatic ticket” was among entreaties offered by the APC to woo him and facilitate his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party —the platform for his 2023 election. He dumped the PDP in February 2025.

“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,” Mr Nwoko said added. “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.”

Mr Nwoko suggested that the APC under Nentawe Yilwatda chairmanship has broken its promises and sidelined legacy members, admitting that “legacy APC members have been shoved aside, and the new guys that came in took over practically everything”.

Mr Nwoko insisted he won the majority of 98 wards in his district.

“We won the primary. All Ifeanyi Okowa did was to show evidence of just one ward where there was an issue,” he claimed. “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.”