Kwara APC Stakeholders Reject Reps Candidate

Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have urged Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to intervene in the party’s choice of candidate for the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Naija News reports that the stakeholders alleged that the candidate announced by the party did not win the APC primary conducted on May 16, 2026.

They made the appeal in an open letter addressed to the governor and made available to Punch in Ilorin on Thursday.

The letter, titled “A Passionate Appeal to Reconsider the APC Choice of Candidacy for Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency for the 2027 General Elections,” was jointly signed by APC leaders and council officials from Ekiti and Oke-Ero local government areas.

The signatories included the APC Chairman in Ekiti LGA, Elder Ajibola Ayoola; APC Chairman in Oke-Ero LGA, James Kayode Bamidele; Chairman of Ekiti Local Government Council, Awelewa Olawale; Oke-Ero APC leader, Kayode Towoju; and APC chieftain, O.J. Adeseko.

“We write with deep concern and unwavering commitment to the ideals of justice, equity and internal democracy within our great party, the All Progressives Congress,” the stakeholders stated.

They added, “The candidate eventually announced by the party did not emerge as the winner of the primary election conducted on May 16, 2026, despite the clear outcome of the exercise.”

Abolarin Won Primary, Stakeholders Claim

Attached to the petition was what the stakeholders described as the official result of the APC primary.

They claimed the result showed that Abolarin Ganiyu polled 17,128 votes to emerge the winner, while the incumbent member representing the constituency, Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, popularly known as Ajuloopin, scored 2,978 votes.

“According to the result of the primary election, Abolarin Ganiyu scored 17,128 votes to emerge first, while Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi polled 2,978 votes,” they said.

“It is therefore ironical that the person who scored the lowest votes and came sixth during the primary is now the acclaimed winner,” the petitioners added.

The stakeholders also argued that retaining Olawuyi would worsen what they described as decades of political imbalance in the constituency.

They said that since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, all lawmakers who had represented the constituency in the House of Representatives had come from either Irepodun or Isin local government areas.

They listed former representatives as Bashir Bola Oni, Peter Gbenga Makanjuola, Akeem Olayinka Hakeem, the late Olufunke Adedoyin, and the incumbent, Olawuyi.

“It is sad that no individual from either Ekiti or Oke-Ero Local Government Areas has ever represented the federal constituency despite the fact that the two councils account for 20 of the constituency’s 42 wards,” the petition read.

The petitioners further claimed that Irepodun Local Government Area alone had produced the federal lawmaker for about 26 years, while Omu-Aran, despite having only three of the constituency’s 42 wards, had occupied the seat for nearly 24 years.

Appealing to AbdulRazaq, the stakeholders urged him to engage the national leadership of the APC to review the decision and recognise Abolarin as the party’s candidate.

“We passionately appeal to Your Excellency to use your good offices to engage the national leadership of our great party to review this decision and, in the interest of justice, equity and party unity, restore the mandate to Abolarin Ganiyu, whom the primary election produced as the authentic winner,” they pleaded.

They said correcting the decision would strengthen confidence in the party’s internal democratic process and promote inclusiveness across the constituency.