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Former Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has emerged as flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Delta North Senatorial district for the 2027 general election.

Okowa defeated the incumbent, Senator Ned Nwoko in the party’s direct primaries held in the various wards across the nine local government areas in the senators district.

Okowa won in by a wide margin in the primary election, polling 113, 309 while Nwoko got 2, 612 votes.

Delta State National Assembly Primary Election Committee of the Party, Eugene Odo said: “Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, having secured the highest number of votes of APC senatorial primaries in Delta North is hereby declared winner of the election”.

In Delta Central, the incumbent, Senator Ede Dafinone clinched the party’s senatorial ticket, defeating his in predecessor and former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

Dafinone polled a total of 116, 252 votes while Omo-Agege scored 3, 643.

The Secretary to the Delta State National Assembly Primary Election Committee of the Party, Barr. Nusa Amagbor who served as the retuning officer for the election, said: “Based on the authenticated results before me; Senator Ede Dafinone scored a total of 116,252 votes, his opponent scored a total of 3,643 votes.

“Having satisfied all the requirements of our great party and having secured the highest number of valid votes cast in this primary, Senator Ede Dafinone is hereby declared the winner of the Delta Central Senatorial District primary election.”

Meanwhile, Ned Nwoko’s support group has urged stakeholders to let the will of the people prevail in the primary to determine candidate of the party in Delta North Senatorial district.

In their call for fair play, Nwoko Campaign Group in a message, through Ekene Kerry, Director General, alleged state hijack of the Senate primary to block Nwoko’s reelection in favour of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.

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Sunday Katung, Shehu Sani, and former Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Yero have emerged victorious in the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primaries held ahead of the 2027 general elections in Kaduna State.

Katung secured the APC ticket for Kaduna South after defeating former Senator Danjuma Tella Laah and Michael Ayuba Auta in the primary election conducted across the district’s eight local government areas.

Announcing the results at the collation centre in Jema’a Local Government Area on Monday, the Returning Officer, John Laah of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, described the exercise as peaceful, transparent, and credible.

According to the results, Katung polled 7,453 votes, while Laah scored 1,370 votes, and Auta received 878 votes.

Laah said delegates from Kagarko, Sanga, Kauru, Zangon Kataf, Kaura, Jema’a, Jaba, and Kachia participated peacefully in the exercise. He also commended party officials, delegates, and security agencies for ensuring a smooth process.

In Kaduna Central, former lawmaker Sani clinched victory after polling 9,105 votes to defeat Yusuf Zailani, who secured 1,021 votes. Yerima Shettima, despite withdrawing from the race, garnered 1,253 votes.

Sani represented Kaduna Central in the Senate between 2015 and 2019 before losing the APC ticket in 2018 to the current Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani.

Reacting to his victory, Shehu Sani thanked President Bola Tinubu and Governor Sani for their support and confidence in his candidacy.

He also expressed appreciation to delegates and constituents for giving him another opportunity to seek representation of the district, while calling on party members and former aspirants to unite for the progress of the APC ahead of the general elections.

Meanwhile, former Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Mukhtar Yero emerged as the winner of the APC primary for Kaduna North.

Yero polled 6,060 votes to defeat Muazu Mukaddas, who scored 1,044 votes, and Engineer Bala Ikara, who secured 362 votes.

Despite the victories recorded by the three candidates, the conduct of the primaries sparked controversy, as a coalition of aggrieved aspirants led by Danjuma Laah protested the exercise, alleging irregularities and the imposition of consensus candidates during the APC senatorial and House of Representatives primaries.

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Fresh scandal has erupted ahead of Monday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Adamawa State after a purported list containing the names of “pre-selected” Senate and House of Representatives candidates surfaced online, further fueling allegations that the exercise has already been hijacked by powerful interests in Abuja.

The leaked document, which has now sparked outrage among party members and aspirants, contains the names of candidates allegedly penciled down as winners even before delegates cast a single vote.

On the controversial Senate list, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri was named as the supposed candidate for Adamawa North Senatorial District, while Felix Tangwami reportedly emerged as the “favoured” candidate for Adamawa South.

Curiously, no name was attached to the Adamawa Central Senatorial District slot.

Sources familiar with the backdoor negotiations revealed that the fate of the central ticket would be determined late Sunday night depending on the outcome of the governorship ticket arrangements and ongoing power calculations among party heavyweights.

The development has reinforced growing fears among APC stakeholders that the entire primary process has been reduced to a mere formality, with candidates allegedly handpicked in Abuja long before the scheduled exercise.

Several aggrieved aspirants and party loyalists had earlier accused APC leaders of imposing candidates and manipulating internal democratic processes in the state.

The media had in previous reports detailed complaints by party members over alleged intimidation, secret meetings, delegate list doctoring and attempts by political godfathers to foist preferred candidates on the party.

The emergence of Felix Tangwami on the controversial list has particularly angered supporters of other high-profile aspirants from Adamawa South, believed to enjoy stronger grassroots support within the party.

Among those reportedly affected is former senator Grace Bent, a prominent APC chieftain who was recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu as an ambassador.

In March, Tinubu approved the appointment of 31 career and 34 non-career ambassadors to various countries and the United Nations, with Bent posted to Lome, Togo.

However, in April, Bent collected her nomination and expression of interest forms under the APC to contest the Adamawa South senatorial seat, raising indications that she may have opted to pursue her political ambition instead of taking up the diplomatic posting.

Party members loyal to Bent described her omission from the alleged “Abuja arrangement” as shocking, insisting that she remained one of the most visible and widely accepted aspirants in the southern zone.

Some party insiders argued that despite her longstanding political structure and influence in Adamawa South, Bent was allegedly sacrificed in the ongoing power-sharing calculations among top APC figures, further deepening accusations that loyalty to certain political blocs, rather than popularity or delegate support, now determines who gets party tickets.

Party insiders warned that the emergence of the latest “Abuja list” could trigger fresh rebellion within the APC in Adamawa, with many aspirants threatening legal action and mass protest if the primaries turn out to be a scripted exercise.

“This is no longer a primary election; it is selection from Abuja,” one furious aspirant revealed.

As tension mounts across the state, many party faithful fear that the alleged manipulation may deepen divisions within the APC ahead of the next general election.