Kwara APC Stakeholders Urge AbdulRazaq to Review House of Representatives Candidate Selection

Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have appealed to 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.

The party leaders alleged that the candidate eventually announced by the APC did not emerge victorious in the primary election conducted on May 16, 2026, and called for a review of the decision in the interest of justice and party unity.

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The appeal was contained in an open letter addressed to Governor AbdulRazaq and jointly signed by APC leaders and elected officials from Ekiti and Oke-Ero Local Government Areas.

Among the signatories were 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 party chieftain O.J. Adeseko.

In the letter, the stakeholders said they were motivated by a commitment to justice, equity, and internal democracy within the APC.

They alleged that the outcome of the primary election did not reflect the candidate eventually presented by the party for the constituency.

The petitioners attached what they described as the official results of the APC primary election, claiming the document showed that Abolarin Ganiyu secured 17,128 votes to emerge as the winner.

According to the stakeholders, the incumbent member representing the constituency in the House of Representatives, Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, popularly known as Ajuloopin, received 2,978 votes.

They argued that it was inconsistent with the declared results for a candidate they claimed finished behind several other aspirants to later emerge as the party’s flagbearer.

The stakeholders therefore urged the APC leadership to review the nomination process and recognise Abolarin as the authentic winner of the primary election.

Beyond the dispute over the primary, the petition also raised concerns about what the stakeholders described as a long-standing imbalance in political representation within the federal constituency.

They noted that since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, all representatives elected to the House of Representatives from the constituency had come from either Irepodun or Isin Local Government Areas.

The petition listed previous and current lawmakers, including Bashir Bola Oni, Peter Gbenga Makanjuola, Akeem Olayinka Hakeem, the late Olufunke Adedoyin, and incumbent lawmaker Raheem Tunji Olawuyi.

According to the stakeholders, neither Ekiti nor Oke-Ero Local Government Area has produced a representative despite the two councils accounting for 20 of the constituency’s 42 political wards.

They further argued that Irepodun Local Government Area has occupied the House of Representatives seat for approximately 26 years, while Omu-Aran, with only three wards, has held the position for nearly 24 years.

Appealing directly to Governor AbdulRazaq, the stakeholders urged him to engage the APC national leadership to review the disputed decision and restore what they described as the mandate freely given to Abolarin Ganiyu during the primary election.

They maintained that such a move would reinforce confidence in the party’s internal democratic processes, promote fairness, and strengthen unity among party members ahead of the 2027 general elections.