APC Primaries Leave Party Divided Ahead of 2027 Elections

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Thank you.

[00:00:00]>> We now switch conversations to the honorable commissioner for information in Delta State. We're joined by honorable Charles Anagu this morning. Uh good morning to you honorable commissioner and thanks for joining us on Breakfast Central this morning. Our last guest who happens to be an APC >> I can hear you Joe. Good morning.

[00:00:20]>> Good morning.

[00:00:20]>> Good morning. Now, our last guest, who happens to be an APC member and a serving counselor, uh did Troy's heart in the House of Representatives primaries in APC and he left the beta uh beta filling in his mouth, he described in his own words, he called them kangaroo primaries. uh what's your assessment of the senatorial and uh the house of representatives primaries of your great party the APC in Delta State.

[00:00:54]Honorable Commissioner, >> once again, good morning Joe Binga and Judit and then good morning Nigerians.

[00:01:01]Let me appreciate you for making this platform available uh to us to be able to examine a number of issues uh with the respect to the primaries of the APC particularly the house of rest and that of the senate which just ended yesterday. Uh Victor is my brother. is from our state from Indoqua and a federal constituency. He was a counselor and then of course um suspended several times. You also heard him mention that and the issues he has raised. He knows that he's not telling the truth because I didn't even know that he was even contesting at all. and internal party issues. You are supposed to reach out to leaders at different levels and then be able to connect with them because you are going to be dealing with a party members to vote and you're expected to know those party members either through their leaders in the different words or through their brothers and sisters because it's an internal affair where you are expected to know members of your party and when you know them you interact with them you are able to also put across your intention but beyond putting across your intention often time they also know you because in a number of meetings since you meet with them. So they are supposed to assess you without having to look for a top party to assist them in doing that. Victor knows that he was nowhere near the race at all. But you know they do these things to try to discredit the process and he's a young man. I don't think he should continue along that trajectory because that is not too good for him. He quite well knows that the election particularly in the area he's talking about ina was more or less an election that was really won and lost even before the game started. And how do I mean the person representing them in the house of representatives at the moment is honorable and honorable is one young man who has been able to connect with his people across the 30 ws in that federal constituency and also has a whole lot of friends and is doing well across the three local government in that federal constituency.

[00:03:04]The next person that you could see was a challenger was the person that AJ Zichi took over from honorable Sai who represented that federal constituency three times as three terms of 12 years in the house of representatives and somehow he has lost touch with the people and so even before the primary started it was obvious that was more or less ahead of them because of uh the kind of grassroot support that he enjoys. So Victor, I wouldn't know why he want to just come in when he knows that um he's not even known by people who are in that federal constituency uh let alone coming to contest against persons that have a grassroot support.

[00:03:41]Well, that is with response to the issues raised by my brother Victor. Now let's speak on a general note. I want to appreciate using your medium to appreciate our governor, right honorable sheriffi for allowing the party members to have a very very free and fair ground to contest and compete in the course of the elections. I am happy your medium is doing very well. You monitored through your correspondent in data the number of consultations across the different federal constituencies 30 in number and the three senatorial districts. those who were serious in the race, you saw them moving around, consulting, speaking to the people, dealing with the different um arms of the party in the different local government areas because they were very serious. Then there were those who were very busy in Abuja looking for how to lobby people to disqualify others or looking for how they they can have what you may call scholarship to to return. Unfortunately, the party decided that let the people speak and by the time the party took the decision, it became too late for them to come back to re-energize, re connect with the people and so all they depended on was to just come and say the primary was not free and fair. Good enough. You also saw that being option A for where people have to queue is not a question of saying that somebody snatched the ballot paper or that those who were not supposed to vote voted. You saw the number in the case of what you showed a while ago in a place called in a car northeast where senator scored three and senator ka scored over 3,000 votes. You saw the line and so when you see that kind of thing and somebody is telling you that the the election was rigged against him, you will know that that is not the truth. So my brother Joe, I can bet you that across the 10 federal constituencies and the three senatorial districts in Delha, the election was very very uh well conducted. Your correspondents to a number of the places and they will bring the reports. Don't even take my word for it. They will show you what happened. I happen to be one of the return officers in um two of these elections and I know what I saw on Grandad. Obviously these individuals didn't prepare. Perhaps as we go deeper into this discussion, I'll be able to let you know how why what I mean by saying that they did not prepare for the election.

[00:06:01]>> I mean, you might as well just go ahead to tell us um what they mean by that because so far so good and not just in Delta State but also other parts where these primaries have been conducted.

[00:06:11]There have been issues of of great uh grieviances regarding the process itself. Persons coming out to say they did have you know the support of the grassroot but then the results or so far what's coming out of the polls is completely different. Although we hear that the national working committee put out a statement saying that they will not affirm any results and they will wait until the investigations before you know putting out a results but you were there you are chief chief tan you're also a returning officer tell us is there a difference um the sentiment of the grassroots will it be reflected in the results or is there as critics have argued a a classic case of pretenders and uh uh uh uh pretenders and and pretenders contenders. There we go. This is what I was looking for. Thank you.

[00:06:55]>> Thank you. Thank you very much, Judith.

[00:06:57]That was a very apt description of what is on ground. Somebody like Victor is more or less a pretender. He know he was not contending with anybody in that election. There are those who actually were very much serious in the race and they wanted to contest and they contested and they did that by reaching out to the people and at the end of the the people spoke and spoke very very loudly. Now on the issues you raised I am not too sure that particular statement came from the national headquarters of the party. What the party said that they sent officials to the different federal constituencies and in the case of the senatorial election to the different senatorial districts and then nobody asked anybody not to announce the result as they happened both on the field and in the different senatorial or house of representative headquarters because not doing so will amount to creating some form of uh chaos and um upheaval. Imagine after people have when they have collected result and you tell somebody that you want to take it somewhere to announce you want them to kill the return officer. So that particular statement we don't know where it came from. The results were announced across the 109 senatorial districts in this in in our country and of course the 360 federal constituencies where the election took place. So anybody telling you that they were asked not to announce result that is not true. What the party did is that they set up an appeal panel in the event that you feel you were short changed. You can proceed with the evidence you have to the appeal panel which sits almost immediately and then that appeal panel can afford to say okay we are suspending this result or we are taking this decision but that of course will not happen in most of these places because a number of these persons are pretenders. I told you a while ago that some of these persons did not at all come to the party. And how do I mean? If for instance you are contesting to occupy a senatorial seat, there are what we call down ballot. The house of representatives becomes a down ballot in your senatorial districts. The house of assembly in that senatorial district also becomes a down ballot. And then what is your connection with also your local government chairman, your commissioners? I take for instance Delta North where I am from. I am not just a commissioner in the Delta state executive council. I also have the privilege of leading my word in Akumazu Mocha in a car northeast local government area. Senator Nadoku did not even speak to any of the commissioners in the senatorial district 10 of us in number. He did not speak to the nine house of assembly members. He did not consult them. These are the people that connects with the grassroots, the nine local government areas and their chairman. He did not even visit any one of them to talk to them. And how do you expect to just come and win a party election where you know that this individual a very large extent controls these other persons in the party because they are the one that holds meetings with them. They are the one that serves as a link between them and the government. Why his opponent senator Dr. How to find Okcoa is not only connecting with these individuals that I mentioned Okoa has not less than 20 person in each of these words direct contact when I mean 20 direct contact and these are about 20 leaders. If you come for instance to my world where I am the leader there are other levels of leaders that have direct contact with him. Ned Woko is not even connecting with me that is the leader let alone all the other leaders in the world and you expect to just come on an election day and win.

[00:10:28]How is it that going to happen in a party election where members of the party are the ones voting dto a number of other even in Delta central senator Ed have been connecting with the people across the eight local government in data central the same thing senator Joab these individuals reach out before this election they have had cost to carry out some form of empowerment programs they connect with the people and I went to Ethiop yesterday to conduct the election in to collect the result from the 11 walls in Ethop West. I took the advantage and the privilege to be able to also move around to some of the words. I could see the queue in one of the words when the people find out that we're supporting Senator Ed. About 10 other person that were supposed to vote for Senator Omig were intimidated by the queue. I was practically begging them to please come and queue. They refused to queue because they saw that it was going to be embarrassing. they ended up leaving the field and not even queuing at all. Do you expect somebody to come and take vote to them in the house when they refused to queue? And so that was also the story across many of these worlds because these individuals thought that Abuja was going to just pronounce them as traditional rulers in this senatorial election. Unfortunately, Abuja did not provide that coronation venue. The coronation venue became the the word levels where the election took place. Good enough is option A4. I gave you example of what happened in world in northeast where you saw scoring three and were getting over and when you saw the queue you see that even the cameraman was running yet he could not even get to the end of the queue. The queue was almost as long as more than 1 km >> right honorable if they told you that they won let them show you the accuse let them show you the officers that conducted their own election. So they usually come up with this story after they have lost because they never prepared to make it look as if nothing happened.

[00:12:25]>> You said that >> and my two brothers Joe and >> there's something >> those who lost in data lost very well.

[00:12:31]>> There's something you said earlier that I would just like to for you to expiate on. You said that every persons who they've all sent at least 20 of their representative across different wards to solicitate for their support from party members. Right. And then you said they also carried out empowerment programs.

[00:12:48]So I want to hamper on the empowerment program that you're talking about.

[00:12:51]>> No no no somewhat of an empowerment.

[00:12:53]Just just bear with me sir. If we're talking about that I I think that would also I mean Nedoko was a sitting senator for four years. Let me clarify Judith.

[00:13:02]That's I want you to clarify but but I want to exp sir if you just let me just allow me please sir.

[00:13:09]>> But for the last four years Ned Woko has been a sitting senator and I believe he has carried out different projects across his you know his uh his constituents. Is there a chance that that is not enough to return? And also does he not have power of incumbency in this case? I mean since you said that you know he was expecting a coronation in some sense. What more does the grassroots expect from him?

[00:13:33]>> Well, thank thank you very much. Thank you very much. Let me even start from the net issue that you raised. First of all, he has been in the Senate for about 3 years now and that going to the Senate was more or less a scholarship extended to him by Senator Kawa when he was a governor because Okoa left the Senate to contest for the governorship in 2015.

[00:13:54]And thereafter, Senator Washi came in served for two terms and then as at the time it was time for another election, Senator Co of course you recall became the vice presidential candidate of the people's democratic party and then Ned Wuku pleaded that they should support him and then directed that those of us who work with him should please support Ned Woku because since Ned Woku had been trying to take a shot at the senatoral seat and we gave him the support because we saw the need to respect our leader.

[00:14:23]So that was why I said that it was more or less a scholarship that took him to the Senate. But as soon as he got to the Senate, he decided to ignore the benefit of that scholarship. Just like what talked about those who had a benevolent spirit cracking their palm canels and then forgetting that that benevolent spirit can only be available if it is appreciated. So that particular gesture of course wasn't appreciated and our people did not feel the impact of his representation. I am from the senatorial district where he's from. He had not carried out any single empowerment program. Let him come and show you where he carried out that empowerment program.

[00:14:56]He has not been able to attract any project to the nine local government in Delta North. He has pre preoccupied himself with what looks like a sham call for a an anoma which he call anoma different from the coloration of the anoma that we have in Dela state.

[00:15:15]Judith, we have the Anoma people occupying nine local government in the data north in the general districts.

[00:15:22]Individuals and persons who continue to wish and would love to remain in in um the southern southern zone that the south south geopolitical zone and not to be merged with any other persons.

[00:15:34]individuals who also love the particularly in the case of Delta persons who believe that the headquarters and the capital of Delta state and even if we are to create a new man should still remain in Asaba but because he wanted to do some form of a sham appeal for state creation he discussing with persons in other places promising them that once that is created that they will be able to take the capital out of Asaba how were you going to do that there has never been anywhere in the history of Nigeria apart from the issue of a movement of the federal capital territory from Lagos to Abuja.

[00:16:06]There has never been any other state where they had to move the capital from one place to another because you know the kind of uh crisis that that could create and that the kind of thing that's the only thing that he can have as credit even when it is not credit to himself and so when you have that kind of thing happening and the people know better that that is not in their own interest and you are not connecting with them. I gave you example a while ago that these other persons connects. Now talking about the issue of the 20 persons I talked about I didn't say 20 persons were appointed to go from one place to the other I said in most of the words these senators whom won particularly in deta north where I am from had individuals very key persons that he can relate with not because of this primary election but on daily basis that he can relate with. They call his number he speaks to them he knows their name he knows even their unit. So that becomes a more like a family issue and this election is a family affair because internal party primaries is a members of the political family and being for members of the political family you expect that there's some form of relationship that exist you cannot sit down in Abuja you are consulting in Abuja you are looking for who to ask them to disqualify so that you can just come and you want Abuja to impose you on the people Abuja that also need to connect with the people that mathematics didn't work that coronation from afar didn't work. You needed to come to the king's men and then possibly stay in the palace and be coronated by the kingmakers. And the kingmakers in this instance are the voters who belong to the party. They have been able to sit in their palaces. In this case, they are WS they very very fervently and they voted very very objectively for those candidates that they have been seen and for those candidates that they relate with. N Woko could possibly have another preoccupation after May 29, 2007.

[00:18:02]But as to represent the great people of Anyoma and the great people of Delta North, the people of Delta North have spoken and they accept the man that they need. In any case, Judith Ned Mo couldn't have been a man to senator Okawa and he knows it for so many reasons. Oka just left office barely 3 years ago as a governor and is a governor that performed creditably to the admiration of all beyond that since he left office he did not leave this country to go and begin to stay abroad for moons he has always been in data and in each of those in each of those days he's in data he attends functions he visit people when they are grieving he visit them when they are rejoicing in the case of people who are getting married and you may think it doesn't matter they say man talk to man listen The moment you have a connection that love you should expect that that sentiment of that relationship will also speak and speak very very loud at a time like this. Asku how many of those events does he attend and he wants to come and ask the people who are voting internally as members of his party to now go and support him. So from day one he knows that even in the social media he was not even going to win let alone winning on grounds. So Judith Wenger and Joe I am happy your medium have very well covered activities in Delta particularly the polit political developments and you know that those who won in this primary and indeed those who are favored to win because they have been able to show that they have a grassroot connect in the case of Omu Age in central he for a very long long time did not prepare to come into the party when I mean party that is this event of this election ask him we had the the primaries of the the House of Representative members there are three from data central which of them could he say is my candidate which you call Dan ballot that is helping him to also mobilize the grassroot how many of the house of assembly persons that are contesting is he in touch with so it's a question of him trying to rely on old glory that was not very glorious politically and as such he think that he was going to win. There was no way he was going to win. They thought that their influences in Abuja is their own exclusive preserve. They don't know that other persons also have access to those persons they also reaching out to in Abuja to allow the processes to be free and fair. And we must appreciate the president and the leadership of the party in Abuja for allowing the processes to be free and fair. We must also like I said earlier appreciate our governor who said let the people go to the field and they went to the field and the result came back from the field and Judith the result is what you saw being announced yesterday and last Saturday.

[00:20:49]>> Okay. So, um, can you categorically say that this primaries, this formula is the best for the APC because some big names will no longer return to the House of Representatives or, you know, House of Assembly. It's it's going to be a tough one for them because it seems like the Senate uh would lose some of its members. I mean we've seen like you mentioned honorable Nuoko honorable Omar Gigi there's some who have mentioned um honorable Nicholas Mutu um and other areas as well other states um mentioned is the primaries the option A4 actually the best because it's working for some people now would you say it's the best for the APC because some of your members are complaining that it's not the best Well, thank you very much, Joe. There's a saying in my place that when the schooler is very busy chewing the ripe palm fruits, he places it still on the one that is not ripe. What that means that is reminding the one that is not ripe that very very soon in the future, it will also return. So if you are in the House of Representatives representing the people or you are in the Senate, you should remember that there's a future where you will still come back to ask for their vote. So placing your tail on them, reminding them that you return means that you need to connect with them. Means that you need to be able to attend their function. Means that you need to be able to link them up with jobs because you are their representatives. Yes, you are a lawmaker. But one of the major function of a representative whether at the House of Representatives or in the Senate is the fact that you are coming from a place where you are representing those people. You become their voice in that particular arena. Be the green chambers or in the uh the red chambers.

[00:22:40]The 109 persons in the Senate represents the 108 senatorial districts and the one in in the FCT which makes it 109 and of course the 360 house of representatives constituencies that exist across the 36 states and the federal capital territory. Now if you are in that chamber like the school that I mentioned that is very busy enjoying the ripe fruit and did not remember that very soon there will be an unripe fruit that will become ripe for you to come back and refuse to place your tail on top of that unripe fruit. You will be rest assured that some other persons will go and take care of that unripe fruit so that when it is ripe they will make use of it. these individuals that have been some of them may have done well but not the individuals I've mentioned but over time you will know that we have also what you call zoning tendencies for instance the one that represents me in the house of representatives honorable um honorable Mulo Molo Victor Molo did very well in the house of representatives but the federal constituency is made up of two local government areas and he has been representing the federal constituency from my own local government area which is a car northeast and after some time the sentiments of the other local government are this this thing has been on this side please can we also have a bite so in that kind of situation so even if you have done so well that local arrangement that issue of zoning formula may affect you which is like in the case of um senator honorable because victor had a good representation he did not even bother to go and buy the farm because he knows the local sentiment that there was the need to move to a cast south and so nobody came up from in the party in a car northeast east. They allowed the people in the cast south to slug it out and at the end of the day one young uh fellow honorable the person of us are not yet an honorable now because he just won the primary of the party. He met victorious and very he had a very very sound and solid victory because he too was on ground connecting with the people even with this the appointment given to him by the governor as one of the special advisers to the governor. He was connecting with the people and of course the leaders of the federal constituency also saw him as a very humble person that they needed to support. So he met victorious dto a number of other areas.

[00:25:03]You mentioned the case of honorable mutu. Honorable Mutu is one person in our state that will come more or less an indigen of the national assembly. He more or less became an indent of national assembly because since 1999 he has been the national assembly. This particular tenure is his seventh time seventh term in the House of Representatives. He was actually gunning for the eighth term in the House of Representatives. But there are also two local governments in that federal constituency which is made up of Bombadi and Patania. And that's why it's called Bombadi Patani federal constituency. The people in Patani have been agitating that look this particular food that belongs to the two local government has always been shared from one local government. Can we also have the port from our local government so that we can also share in the other direction by way of occupation because that sentiment is very very high. Even the people who wanted to be fair in Bombadi also supported that shift that shift because the governor also said all of you go to the field. This is not the time for anybody to enjoy coronation. He went to the field. The sentiment spoke very much in favor of honorable Ghana who is from Patani local government area the other leg of that particular federal constituency. There are issues like that in a number of areas. And so when people come to talk to you, interrogate them about the local pecularities that exist, the performance that they have put up while they are in the House of Representatives or in the Senate as the case may be and then of course their connection with the people who ordinarily are the decider of this particular election. Now to the issue you raised Joe with respect to the prim the mode of the primaries the direct primary the beauty of this is what you call in data see me I see you that is is not a question of saying that somebody had gone to change the number in one bush you are seeing them counting you are seeing them recording the result if you saw that somebody is counting and he didn't count your own how would you allow them to leave that Victor was saying that they came with a food scap. How can he say food cap when we had result sheets for all the words?

[00:27:13]We have 270 WS in Delta. The 270 WS had word results that were filled out. We have 25 local government areas. We have uh 200 we also have 25 local government area sheets that they use in collecting those results from the different worlds.

[00:27:32]and then before you proceed to the federal constituency as or the senatorial district um headquarters as the case may be. So since it's internal is a good thing is a way of also energizing the members of the public some that are crying they are crying because they did not see the opportunity to look for one delegate or the other to quarter in one hotel and then begin to use money to intimidate a number of persons. But this one like I said is see me I see you. Okay, honorable commissioner, before we begin to wrap up, uh let's uh talk about the the fallout uh of this when all is done and settled uh these are grieved members uh the ones that are complaining uh victors and the others are still members of your party and uh because of the new uh electoral act they can't defect at least for the foreseeable future. uh and that potent dangers of uh sabotage cuz you still have uh governorship elections, you have presidential elections coming up and uh the main elections itself when the APC candidates will be contesting in a field with other candidates from other parties. So because of the way they feel uh they might want to sabotage efforts of candidates. So are there uh reconciliation plans? Are there plans to you know speak to them and assuage them of their affairs and maybe some sort of compensation so that you can return to being one happy family? I'm sure you are used to watching the game of football.

[00:29:08]When people go when people go into the field and they play of course you expect a team to win. I've never seen where those who lost out in the game of football will begin to dance and begin to cheer those who won. Sometimes you see them cry particularly when it gets towards the final from the semi-final to the final you see those who will cry but after that they wipe their tears and then they prepare for another game. So maybe about a week or a month after you see them preparing for another game so that they can win another time. It is inhuman to beat a child and ask that child not to cry. But as the child begins to cry, you also provide some form of a handkerchief and then use it to wipe the tears of the the child.

[00:29:51]These individuals have been beaten at the field of play and you expect them just like in the game of football to at least to cry a little so that they don't have a pent up anger in them. So when you cry, you clean the eye and then you able to also at least ventilate your grievances if at all there's any genuine one. And then as we make progress the leaders of the party will also interact with them just like the way you also ask the child not to cry too much or they also you know wake up and prepare for the next election. And so all those processes are in place you expect that once somebody is a loser a loser cannot just go and bcept he was not even those who are even pretending still come and cry not to talk of those who are actually contesting and contending with other persons. So people like Victor you saw that the cry he's crying is just to to become popular at least he has gained something now because of that contest he has had access to your medium to be able to speak perhaps if he did not contest you will not even invite him to also come and talk to Nigerians and so he has gained something but as we make progress they know those they know that when they enter that we're not going to win >> honorable >> and when I got to Ethop West yesterday I was shocked because I thought that Senator Moigi was very prepared for the primary but when I got to YouTube West, I saw that he was not prepared because there was no damn damn ballot that was on his side and I could see the people, the different leaders in the local government, majority of them not working with him. So how was he going to win the primary election in the party and so those are some of the issues that we know that there are individuals who just want to use it so that not look as if they have lost out. If you are not preparing the down ballot, those who follow you so that they can help you protect and galvanize voters at the grassroot. This is a grassroot election where the individuals who are members of the party will gather and you are not having somebody who will help you in that place. They don't even know that you are contesting and you want to win.

[00:31:53]It's not going to happen. In the general election, you can come and put money here and there and then talk to people who are just floating who may even be very very apolitical. They don't when it comes to election they drag them. Okay, come and vote. Okay, who do you want us to vote for? In the case of party, election everybody is politically minded. That is why they belong to a political party. They are not a political. They have interest of their party. That is why even at a time where other persons may not like that party because they belong to that party, party philosophy, party ideology, party love keeps them to say let us defend our party.

[00:32:30]>> All right.

[00:32:30]>> And so when individual who are in that party knows that this principles obtains and they are very busy enjoying the right palm fruits and they didn't want to come and put their tail place their tail on your ripe one.

[00:32:41]>> Honorable >> the result is expected.

[00:32:43]>> Honorable we want to say thank you very much for taking out the time to join us this morning. Thank you for you know just you know making everything straight and you know we want to hear from your side. Also I want to make want to make this clear that uh news central at its core is de developmental journalism and that means uh democratizing access to all. So for all Nigerians, Africans and even beyond we want to connect the dots and so everyone has a free access to come on television.

[00:33:09]>> Honorable thank you so much honorable Charles Aniago he is the honorable commissioner for information for Delta state and also the APC chief. Thank you Judith and Ben.

[00:33:18]>> Thank you. Thank you.