Senator Ede Dafinone has emerged winner of the senatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress for Delta Central, defeating former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, in a landslide outcome.
PUNCH Online has earlier reported that Omo-Agege declared himself the victor in the primary contest.
Also, former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, secured victory in the Delta North senatorial primary, while incumbent Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas maintained a strong lead in Delta South, according to results announced by party officials.
The primaries were conducted under the direct primary (Option A4) system across wards in the senatorial districts, with officials describing the exercise as peaceful and well-attended.
Announcing the Delta Central results, the Secretary of the APC National Assembly Primary Committee for Delta State, Nusa Amagbor, declared: “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.”
He further stated: “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.”
The statement also emphasised the conduct of the process.
It read, “Party stakeholders in Delta Central, our proceedings here today have been peaceful, and we sincerely thank you all for your cooperation and orderly conduct throughout this exercise.”
In Delta North, the returning officer, Mr Eugene Odo, announced the outcome in favour of Okowa.
He said, “Having satisfied all the requirements of the party and having secured the highest number of valid votes cast in the primary, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa is hereby declared the winner of the Delta North Senatorial District primary election.”
The Delta North result showed a wide margin, with Okowa polling 113,309 votes, while Senator Ned Nwoko scored 2,612 votes, and Mariam Ali recorded 40 votes.
In Delta South, officials said Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas was leading in six of the eight local government areas, with the exercise still being closely monitored by Independent National Electoral Commission officials.
Following his declaration, Senator Dafinone described the process as transparent and urged unity within the party.
The senator said, “First of all, let me say that the process of the primaries was conducted in a manner that was transparent, open, free, and fair. Delta Central is, of course, a highly political terrain…”
He also extended an olive branch to his opponent.
“I will also take this opportunity to call on Distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to join forces with other members of our party so that we can work together for victory in 2027 across all positions,” he noted.
