Delta North: How Ned Nwoko’s Victory Was Upturned In The PDP Senate Primary

Long before the October 2, 2018 Delta North senatorial primary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), there was palpable anxiety and fear in the camp of a rooted cabal in Delta State due to the fact that all indices and permutations were pointing to imminent victory for Prince Ned Nwoko in the contest.

In the race, the Paris Club loan refunds hero was pitted against the cabal’s anointed candidate, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi. . 

The conspirators had analyzed the worrisome scenario and come to the conclusion that unless some drastic measures were put in place to checkmate the rampaging Idumuje Ugboko-born philanthropist, Nwaoboshi might be bidding farewell to the four walls of the National Assembly.

The conspirators therefore resolved to, at all cost stop the populist politician from making a mince meat of Nwaoboshi. They were cocksure of Nwaoboshi’s looming defeat because his popularity rating had plummeted to its lowest ebb in Delta North District. 

Having read the handwriting on the wall, they opted for manipulation and rigging deploying sundry underhand means.

Fully aware that Prince Ned Nwoko is a generous giver and a grassroots politician with mass following, the conspiratorial clique first moved to lure some rotten elements in the state PDP chapter and few serving political office holders into their infamous plot. 

Few days to the senatorial primary, they convened a meeting with the aspirants. At the meeting they handed down directive to the aspirants on the maximum amount of cash gift they would offer to any delegate. They did so with a threat to disqualify any aspirant who violated the directive.

Unknown to others the directive was a ploy to give Nwaoboshi an advantage. Their real target was the well known generous international attorney, Ned Nwoko who spends his clean money. They wanted to peg the amount he spent while Nwaoboshi was allowed to spend any amount he wished from the cache of public money at his disposal. 

Another sign that the officials were plotting to tinker with the outcome was their non disclosure of the total number of accredited delegates prior to voting. 

It was a rude shock to the conspirators that in spite of their antics and stratagems, Nwoko was coasting to victory as balloting ended with counting drawing to a close. The ratio among the three contenders was 4:3:1 in favour of Ned Nwoko with Nwaoboshi coming second and Paul Osaji occupying the rear position. 

It was at this stage that a distress call was put across to a top party official who abandoned the Delta Central Senatorial District primary midway and raced down to Asaba steered by escort riders. There was an interlude of about 50 minutes while the officials delayed for him to catch up. He drove into the venue and personally took charge of proceedings. But before his arrival a dejected Nwaoboshi had left the venue wearing long face having sensed his defeat. 

As the party official took charge massive falsification and alterations ensued. Already computed results were hurriedly falsified to swap Ned Nwoko’s victory with Nwaoboshi’s defeat. Many of Ned’s clear votes were counted and announced as Nwaoboshi’s when the scores of three candidates were being declared. There were also multiple voting  by desperate officials in favour of Nwaoboshi.  This explains why some of Nwaoboshi’s votes were written in the same handwriting by the same persons. In total contravention of the rules guiding the exercise some of Nwaoboshi’s high profile supporters were seen campaigning and cajoling delegates to vote for him while polling was underway. Nwaoboshi was telephoned to return to the cenotaph. 

Another twenty minutes further and the abracadabra was concluded with Nwaoboshi announced as the surprise winner. Most delegates wore mournful faces as they left the Cenotaph. 

Journalists were quickly mobilized by the cabal to disseminate the news of Nwaoboshi’s false victory in order to give it a veneer of reality and credibility. 

As they perfected their evil plot, completely innocent Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, a good and God-fearing man was totally oblivious of their satanic machinations. 

An intelligent and wise leader who knows how to outsmart the wolves and survive, the governor had earlier pledged non interference. He kept his words but the evil men had their momentary triumph. 

Some may ask, ‘why did Prince Ned Nwoko stand by and watch while rogues stole his mandate in broad daylight? The answer is simple – He didn’t want the blood of anybody spilled because of his ambition. Otherwise he has enough courageous youths around him to make trouble but didn’t opt for that. The liberation of Anioma and Delta State from the avaricious sharks was uppermost in his heart. Ned Nwoko having lived and worked in climes where rules are obeyed believes that things have to be done in a proper way.

So, the Star Prince kept his cool to avoid shedding of blood. He diligently tried to seek justice through the party organ but his efforts were frustrated as those who were supposed to hear his petition made themselves evasive and uncooperative. 

He was left with no option than to seek redress in law court. He did the needful and got an order for preservation of the ballot papers used during the senatorial primary. The move was a masterstroke because it never crossed the imagination of the clique that the ballot papers would be certified by officials and cross checked by the court. 

It’s quite reassuring that the goddess of justice has smiled on the amiable Anioma Prince and the prime beneficiary of the fraud has been dethroned via a landmark ruling by the Federal High Court. The court barred the pretender from parading himself as the senator-elect for Delta North senatorial district. 

The Ned Nwoko vs Peter Nwaoboshi judgment has been widely hailed as a watershed in the search for solution to the prevalent problem of fraudulent party primaries and imposition of unpopular candidates on the people. 

But it’s never a cake-walk to kill a venomous snake completely. And so the usurper is delaying the masses’ victory by approaching the appellate court which will have to deal with the substantive materials at hand. In appealing the judgment, Nwaoboshi’s major contentions are that newspapers reported the result of the primary and the case was statute barred. 

But the real focus of the case is INEC. The matter is the stoppage of the commission from presenting the name of the loser rather than the winner as the senator-elect for Delta North senatorial district. 

Another kernel of the matter are the ballot papers used during the party primary election which have been tendered and warehoused as valuable exhibits in the case. It’s the smartness and wisdom of Prince Ned Nwoko’s legal team in obtaining the certified true copies of PDP ballot papers that made the case and the judgment unique. The non usage or abuse of ballot papers has been at the root of malpractices during party primaries where losers get imposed on the people by cliques and mafias.

For the good and long suffering people Anioma, their political and socioeconomic emancipation is near and will be crowned with the imminent swearing in of Prince Ned Nwoko as the Distinguished Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District.

*** Nzemeka Ogadinma, Abbi, Ndokwa West LGA.

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