Commissioner for Works, Rural Roads and Public Information in Delta State, Charles Aniagwu, yesterday, said Senator Ned Nwoko lost the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election to former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, because of his alleged unpopularity within the district.
Aniagwu claimed that Nwoko failed to engage political leaders across the 98 wards in Delta North Senatorial District and canvass support ahead of the primary election.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, the commissioner said while Okowa was actively consulting and interfacing with leaders across the nine local government areas in the district, Nwoko remained in Abuja.
His words: “Okowa actually polled 113,309 votes as against Ned Nwoko’s 2,612 votes. There is a very huge difference between internal party elections, which we call party primaries, and general elections because the sentiments are different.
“Ned Nwoko was nowhere in any of the wards, and we have 98 wards in the senatorial district made up of nine local government areas. He never reached out to any of the leaders in these wards, let alone canvassing and informing anybody that he was coming to run in the election.
“Ned Nwoko has been in the Senate for almost three years now. Since he got to the Senate, we have about 65 traditional institutions in Delta North. Each Christmas, he does not even give them a three-month-old goat, and neither does he visit them.
“For those who are in the political circle, the 98 wards in Delta North have chairmen. He (Ned) doesn’t even know the name of any of the chairmen, including the one in his own ward.
“In the senatorial district, there are 10 commissioners, nine House of Assembly members and nine local government chairmen. Ned Nwoko did not reach out to anybody to inform them that he was going to run for election.”
“For instance, I am a commissioner in the Delta State Executive Council, and I also have the privilege of leading a ward. Ask Ned Nwoko whether he ever sent even a text message to inform me, let alone informing other leaders in my ward that he was going to run for election.
“Ned Nwoko is from Ward 8 in Aniocha North Local Government Area. Ned never even had a single meeting with members of his own ward, which is also why he lost the election even in his own ward.
“In his own community, where he is from, for a very long time, he never wanted the traditional ruler to be given the staff of office.”
He was blocking it until not too long ago when the state government conferred on the traditional ruler a particular title and presented him with the staff of office.
“In his community, he has always been in perpetual battle with the people. How many people from his community has he had arrested since he became a senator? Do you expect those people he is allegedly oppressing and intimidating with his position to come out and vote for him?
“When we were preparing for these primaries, he never moved anywhere. Meanwhile, Okowa was very busy crisscrossing not only the nine local governments that make up the senatorial district, but also interfacing with leaders across the board. He was interfacing with all the political appointees. Okowa has direct contact with no fewer than 20 persons.
“The crowd you saw behind Ned Nwoko, of course, you noticed that it was not a queue. Ned Nwoko has a sports university in his community. When he brought in eight different 18-seater buses, he went to that university and brought the students.
“For every ward, every local government, every federal constituency and indeed every senatorial district, the party appointed officials to organise the primaries. He was just standing in the midst of people. He was not standing in a queue.
“You will see that Okowa queued. They counted him and counted some elderly women who were sitting down. Go and cross-check with that of Ned Nwoko, who was just standing in the midst of people and talking to the media. Nobody was counting anything.”
