A House of Representatives aspirant for the Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency in Delta State, Julius Efeni Akpovoka, has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to manipulate the results of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries, which he claims to have won.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Akpovoka said he has formally lodged a complaint with the NDC secretariat and other key stakeholders, including the party’s national leader and former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson. He noted that Senator Dickson had assured him of justice should he provide incontrovertible evidence of his victory.
Akpovoka alleged that while he emerged as the winner of the primary election in the constituency, the electoral committee overseeing the exercise was attempting to doctor the results against him. He urged the party’s national leadership to intervene with the Delta State chapter and the committee to preserve the integrity of the process.
“My appeal is for the committee to do the right thing—to reflect what actually happened on the field and put my name forward, so they do not manipulate figures and destroy the party’s reputation. The NDC’s standing in Nigeria is built on integrity,” he said.
Providing a detailed breakdown of the results, Akpovoka stated:
“In Ughelli North, I scored 1,205 votes. My closest rival, Chief Dr Christopher Ominimini, polled 205. In Ughelli South, I scored 350 against his 285. In Udu, I scored 283, while the highest there was 305, defeating me by about 18 to 20 votes. The total across the three local areas is 1,840 for me, 560 for Ominimini, and 315 for the third contender.”
Akpovoka acknowledged assurances from Senator Dickson and former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, that the primary results would be handled fairly. He further declared that if declared the party’s candidate, he would defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the constituency.
“I have contested against my opponent before, while we were both in the APC. I won that primary in 2019, but my name was manipulated onto the ballot. In terms of popularity and voter reach, he is not even 10 per cent of me. The party knows this,” Akpovoka said.
He added: “Once you give me the ticket, before 11 o’clock—not even 12 o’clock—I will have won the election for the party. The APC is no match for me in this federal constituency.”
