Senator representing Delta Central District, Ede Dafinone has rejected claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Delta Central was imposed, insisting that the exercise that produced him was free, fair, and transparent.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, he argued that the outcome reflected the genuine will of delegates who participated in the process, adding that attempts to dispute the result were not backed by evidence or clear figures.
“Let me say that the process was free, fair, and transparent. But when you asked what went right and what went wrong, I want to take us back to 2023, where I participated in the elections for the Senate, and out of the eight local governments that make up Delta Central, I won in five local governments.”
He argued that the party now comprised both long-standing APC members and new entrants, all of whom took part in shaping the direction of the primaries. “The party is made up of both former PDP members and the old APC members, of which I also have a significant support base. So his result of yesterday is really a reflection of the fact that he stayed away from the new party and left the space empty, which, of course, myself and others have taken up the space in order to become candidates of the party in the primaries.”
The senator said his victory was also influenced
by his sustained engagement with party stakeholders over the past year, noting that he had worked to build relationships across local government areas. “The result of yesterday is really a reflection of the fact that he stayed away from the new party and left the space empty, which, of course, myself and others have taken up the space in order to become candidates of the party in the primaries. It cannot happen.”
Dafinone added that he had been politically active in Delta State since 1998 and had contested elections across multiple platforms. “I’ve been in politics in Delta State since 1998, and I was a founding member of the PDP and first contested primaries for the Senate in 2006 and again in 2011. So I’m not new to politics, and I have played politics in the PDP, in DPP, which changed to the Labour Party after some time, and then APC from about 2014.”
He said accessibility and close contact with constituents also played a role in strengthening his support base. “My phone number is literally shared on billboards across Delta Central. I have an open-door policy both in my home and the office, inviting my people to come to me with their problems for me to solve. Just to close that off, I say they should come to me with their problems for me to solve, but of course I can’t solve every problem, but I do try and solve as many as possible for all my people.”
Dafinone further insisted that there was nothing unusual about party members expressing preference for candidates. “There’s actually absolutely nothing wrong with political party members coming together to say that they have a preferred candidate. I have spent the last one year going around the new members of the party, going around the old members of the party to let them know what I’ve been doing in the Senate, to let them have a report to offer services to all my constituents. The problem with the statement made about being anointed is that it suggests that it is created.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
