The attention of concerned Legacy APC stakeholders in Delta North has been drawn to the recent interview granted by Mr. Norbert Sochukwudinma on Arise TV, wherein he falsely claimed that there was no manipulation in the Delta North APC primaries and accused Senator Ned Nwoko of lying.
We state categorically that Mr. Sochukwudinma’s statements are misleading, self-serving, and contradict the verifiable facts on ground:
1. No Electoral Legitimacy:
Mr. Sochukwudinma has never won his unit or ward since joining politics. A man who cannot secure a vote in his own polling unit lacks the moral standing to speak for APC members across 9 LGAs.
2. Falsehood on Legacy APC Chairmen:
On TV, Mr. Sochukwudinma claimed that 6 legacy APC chairmen were re-elected out of 9. This is false. Only 4 were returned: Aniocha North, Aniocha South, Oshimili North, and Oshimili South. Even in these 4 LGAs, 90% of the excos are PDP decampees.
These 4 legacy chairmen have allegedly been placed on salary at both state and local government levels to ensure their subservience to Okowa’s camp. This is not party building; it is paid submission.
3. Imposition, Not Election
The 4 chairmen were not elected. They were imposed. Legacy APC members who paid for nomination forms for the local government congress through the official Zenith Bank account were denied forms. This includes Mr. Sochukwudinma’s own friend, Nnamdi Ofonye. The congress was a sham designed to lock out legacy members and hand the structure to PDP decampees.
4. Political Opportunism-
Mr. Sochukwudinma was among those who endorsed Senator Ned Nwoko when he joined APC and publicly drummed support for him. He only reversed course after allegedly receiving payment from Okowa’s camp and went on TV to counter the endorsement. This pattern of transactional politics disqualifies him from speaking on party process or integrity.
5. Displacement of Legacy APC:
In his own LGA, a two-time APC candidate for 2019 and 2023, Prince Rister Izedunor, was disqualified without cause to impose an incumbent PDP decampee. Across Delta State, the same method was used. Today, the slogan of these PDP decampees is “APC Take Over.”
Mr. Sochukwudinma’s Arise TV appearance was not a defense of party democracy. It was a defense of a manipulated outcome and of his own transactional role in it. Delta North APC deserves leaders with electoral legitimacy and loyalty to legacy members, not political merchants who flip positions for payment.
We call on the APC National Leadership to investigate the conduct of the Delta North congresses and primaries and to restore the party to its legitimate legacy base.
– Concerned Legacy APC Stakeholders
Delta North Senatorial District
