Senator Ned Nwoko has called on the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to protect the mandate he said was overwhelmingly given to him by party members during the Delta North Senatorial District primary election.

Nwoko warned against any attempt to overturn the outcome of the exercise through what he described as “manufactured and dubious figures” allegedly being promoted by his opponents.

In a statement issued by his media office in Abuja on Sunday, the Senator maintained that he secured a landslide victory in the primary election, polling about 123,000 votes against the 6,000 votes he said were garnered by former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

According to him, reversing the outcome of the election would amount to a betrayal of the democratic wishes of APC members across the senatorial district and could undermine the party’s fortunes ahead of future elections.

“Subverting the mandate freely given by APC members who turned out in large numbers to participate in the primaries would amount to an abuse of their wishes and sensibilities. Such an action could undermine the confidence of party members and supporters who believe in the democratic process,” he said.

Nwoko urged the APC National Working Committee and the party’s national leadership to ensure that justice prevails by respecting the outcome of the primary election and preserving the integrity of the process.

The senator claimed that the results of the election could be independently verified through video recordings obtained from the various wards where the primaries were conducted.

He stated that he won in 97 of the 98 wards in Delta North and challenged those disputing the outcome to explain how figures allegedly compiled by a panel could outweigh evidence from the polling locations.

“I defeated Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa overwhelmingly in 97 of the 98 wards, and I have video evidence from across the district to support the outcome. Are authenticated video recordings from 98 wards not more credible than figures allegedly concocted by a panel appointed by the governor who is openly working for Okowa?” he queried.

Nwoko further appealed to the APC leadership to disregard what he described as manufactured narratives and ensure that the final declaration reflects the choice made by party members.

“The future of our party in Delta North depends on the confidence of our members that their votes count and that their voices will not be silenced by political manipulation. I trust the national leadership of our great party to uphold the truth, protect the democratic process, and affirm the mandate freely given to me by APC members across Delta North,” he said.

The lawmaker attributed the support he received from party members to their confidence in his legislative performance and his advocacy for the creation of Anioma State.

He also stressed that he had remained committed to the APC long before the defection of Okowa and other political actors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party.

Nwoko rejected what he termed a “self-imposed and propagandist declaration of victory” by Okowa, insisting that such a move runs contrary to established party procedures.

He recalled that before the conduct of the primary election, the APC National Organising Secretary had outlined the process for collation and declaration of results, including ward, local government, constituency and final collation at the party’s national headquarters.

“The authority to collate, authenticate and declare the results of the primary election rests solely with the appropriate organs of the APC national leadership. Any premature declaration of victory is contrary to party guidelines and amounts to an attempt to influence public perception ahead of the completion of due process,” he stated.

The senator therefore called on the APC leadership to uphold the party’s rules, protect the integrity of the primary election process and ensure that the final outcome reflects the will of members in Delta North.