The disagreement centers on claims by supporters of former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, and those of aspirant Olorogun Onome Bernice Dema, each presenting different accounts of the vote.
In a brief response to journalists, Omo-Agege’s Media Adviser, Sunny Areh, stated that his principal secured the party’s ticket. No figures were provided in his message.
Dema’s camp, however, rejected that position, insisting she emerged winner through direct primaries. Her media aide, Joseph Edegware, said the party initially moved toward a consensus arrangement before Omo-Agege joined the NDC on Thursday, after which direct primaries were held across the district.
He claimed Dema scored 4,973 votes against Omo-Agege’s 3,853. According to him, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) monitored the exercise, and results were transmitted to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Edegware also dismissed reports suggesting that Dema stepped down, saying both aspirants were currently meeting party leaders in Abuja over the dispute, with a resolution expected from that engagement.
Confusion deepened after two separate statements attributed to Dema surfaced. One of them rejected claims of withdrawal, maintaining she remained the party’s candidate for Delta Central and accusing unnamed actors of attempting to distort internal party outcomes ahead of 2027.
A second statement, however, contradicted the first, allegedly distancing her from the earlier position and conceding defeat to Omo-Agege while pledging support for his candidacy. It also described the initial release as unauthorised and blamed it on political interference.
Meanwhile, supporters of Dema circulated figures indicating she led the contest by more than 1,000 votes, while results from Ethiope East Local Government Area were reportedly cancelled.
The national leadership of the NDC has yet to issue an official declaration on the primary.
Party state chairman, Richmond Doubra, has not responded to requests for clarification at the time of filing this report.
In the governorship race, Chris Iyowaye remains the party’s candidate for Delta State under the NDC.
