Eighteen graded traditional rulers from Ekiti and Oke-Ero Local Councils of Kwara State have appealed to the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconsider the candidature of the incumbent lawmaker, Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, for the Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Isin/Irepodun Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.

The monarchs made the appeal in a petition addressed to the party leadership, arguing that the emergence of Olawuyi as the APC candidate was inconsistent with the outcome of the party’s primary election and principles of equity and fairness.

According to the petition, Ganiyu Gabriel Abolarin of Ekiti Local Council secured 17,128 votes in the primary election, while Olawuyi reportedly polled 2,978 votes.

The petition, jointly signed by 18 traditional rulers on Friday, included the Olosi of Osi, Oba Salihu A. Adasofegbe; the Owalobbo of Obbo, Oba Samuel O. Adelodun; and the Elekan of Ekan, Oba David Adekunle Olaniyan.

The monarchs described Olawuyi’s emergence as the party’s candidate as a breach of an existing political understanding intended to ensure equitable distribution of elective positions within Kwara South.

The petition comes a day after APC stakeholders called on Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to intervene in the matter, alleging that the candidate selection process did not reflect the outcome of the party’s primary election.

The traditional rulers recalled that the Igbomina and Ekiti traditional councils had previously agreed that, in the interest of fairness, the APC’s Kwara South Senatorial ticket should be zoned to the Igbomina bloc, while the House of Representatives ticket should be ceded to the Ekiti bloc.

The monarchs expressed concern that the House of Representatives ticket was allegedly retained in Irepodun Local Council through the nomination of the incumbent lawmaker from Omu-Aran.

According to them, the development would result in Irepodun producing both the APC senatorial and House of Representatives candidates, while the Ekiti bloc, which comprises 20 of the constituency’s 42 electoral wards, would remain unrepresented.

“As fathers, we do not seek conflict; we seek justice,” the monarchs said, appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC National Chairman and other stakeholders to revisit the nomination and recognise what they described as the mandate given to Abolarin by party members during the primary election.

The petitioners attached a copy of the APC primary election results, which they said showed that Abolarin won the exercise with 17,128 votes against Olawuyi’s 2,978 votes.

They also argued that representation in the federal constituency has remained concentrated in Irepodun and Isin local councils since 1999.

According to the monarchs, former occupants of the seat, including Bashir Bola Oni, Peter Gbenga Makanjuola, Akeem Olayinka Hakeem, the late Olufunke Adedoyin and the incumbent, Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, all hail from either Irepodun or Isin local councils.

They noted that Irepodun Local Council has produced the federal lawmaker for about 26 years, while Omu-Aran, with three of the constituency’s 42 wards, has occupied the seat for nearly 24 years.

“It is unfortunate that no individual from either Ekiti or Oke-Ero Local Government Areas has ever represented the constituency in the House of Representatives, despite the two councils accounting for 20 of the 42 wards,” the petition added.

Reacting to the controversy, the Kwara APC Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, advised aggrieved members and stakeholders to utilise the party’s internal mechanisms for resolving disputes, noting that the relevant authorities still have the power to review the nomination if necessary. (The Guardian)