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Former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial ticket for Delta North ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He defeated incumbent senator, Ned Nwoko and Dr Maryam Ali during the party’s primary election conducted across the district’s nine local government areas.
Announcing the results, the APC Returning Officer, Prof. Johnbull Tonukari, declared Okowa winner after polling 113,309 votes in the exercise.
Tonukari said Nwoko secured 2,612 votes, while Ali polled 40 votes in the primary election conducted peacefully across the senatorial district.
He said three aspirants contested the ticket, namely Okowa, Nwoko and Ali, with delegates voting across the nine councils in Delta North.
According to him, Okowa dominated the contest from the opening stages and maintained substantial leads across nearly all the local government areas announced.
“In Ndokwa East LGA, Okowa polled 9,436 votes while Nwoko secured 79 votes and Ali recorded 15 votes,” Tonukari stated.
He said the former governor also won convincingly in Ika South, polling 9,763 votes against Nwoko’s 19 votes, while Ali failed to secure any vote.
Tonukari added that Okowa maintained his lead in Oshimili North Local Government Area after polling 13,110 votes during the exercise.
He said Nwoko recorded 287 votes in Oshimili North, while Ali again failed to secure any vote in the council area.
“In Ukwuani LGA, Okowa polled 12,167 votes, while Nwoko recorded 105 votes and Ali scored no vote,” the returning officer said.
Tonukari disclosed that Okowa also defeated Nwoko in the incumbent senator’s local government area during the primary election.
He said Okowa polled 5,480 votes in the council, while Nwoko secured 1,343 votes in what party members described as a major upset.
The returning officer further stated that Okowa extended his dominance in Aniocha South and Oshimili South local government areas.
According to him, Okowa secured 10,353 votes in Aniocha South and 11,616 votes in Oshimili South during the primary contest.
He said Nwoko polled 168 votes in Aniocha South and recorded 74 votes in Oshimili South, while Ali failed to make significant impact.
“In Ika North East LGA, Okowa polled 26,185 votes, while Nwoko scored 24 votes and Ali recorded no vote,” Tonukari added.
He also announced that Okowa secured 15,199 votes in Ndokwa West to defeat Nwoko, who polled 513 votes in the council.
Tonukari said Ali again failed to secure any vote in Ndokwa West during the senatorial primary election.
Following the announcement, APC National Working Committee leader in Delta, Mr Eugene Odo, formally declared Okowa winner of the primary election.
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Meanwhile, Chairman of the 2026 All Progressives Congress (APC) National Assembly Primary Election Committee for Lagos State, Mr. Saleh Yipmong, has applauded members for peaceful affirmations of the three Lagos senators as party consensus candidates for 2027.
The sole candidate in each of the Senatorial districts – Idiat Adebule (Lagos West), Wasiu Sanni-Eshinlokun (Lagos Central and Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East) were affirmed during the party’s Senate primaries.
Speaking at Awori College in Ojo Local Government, one of the venues for the primaries in the Lagos West Senatorial District, Yipmong commended party faithful in Lagos West Senatorial District for maintaining orderliness and cooperating
Yipmong said the committee was delegated by the party’s national headquarters to supervise the exercise. He told party members that the affirmation process must reflect their free choice and democratic consent.
“I want to believe as you have gathered here, nobody coerced you into this affirmation or to vote for a particular candidate,” he said.
The chairman, thereafter, asked party members if they truly consented to the affirmation of former deputy dovernor, Dr. Adebule, as candidate for Lagos West.
The crowd responded in affirmation, signalling support for Adebule to emerge as the APC senatorial candidate for the 2027 general elections.
Also speaking at the Lagos City Centre, Lagos Island, the collation centre of the primaries in the Lagos Central Senatorial District, Yipmong commended the party faithful for being orderly and peaceful.
“We are on a fact- finding mission, we came here to see for ourselves whenever the conduct of the exercise was going in the direction they are to go.
“We are happy this exercise is going on well. Lagos is a place of pride and it must continue to show direction,” he said.
Commending the transparent manner of the exercise, the chairman urged party members and officials to follow the law and guidelines to the end.
Speaking at the APC Secretariat in Somolu Local Government, the collation centre for the primary in the Lagos East Senatorial, Yipmong also commended party leaders and members for showing high level of support and cooperation
Earlier at one of the voting centres in Lagos West, the State APC Chairman, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, praised members and leaders for displaying maturity throughout the exercise.
“We are delighted with what we have seen and appreciate the peaceful manner exhibited in affirming the candidature of Dr Adebule.
“This is not by coercion, as party members you have agreed that Adebule should proceed and continue representing Lagos West Senatorial District,” he said.
Ojelabi described the primary as the first phase of preparations toward the 2027 general elections.
“This is the first leg, the second leg is the general elections. Ensure the support exhibited today is carried into the general elections,” he said.
Ojelabi also commended the chairman and members of the 2026 APC National Assembly Primary Election Committee for diligently carrying out their responsibilities.
Ojelabi gave the same commendation and reiterated the same charges in all the areas the committee selected for the monitoring of the primaries to choose party’s flagbearers in the 2027 general election.
