From Taiye Joseph, Ilorin
Traditional rulers from Ekiti and Oke-Ero Local Government Areas in Kwara State have appealed to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to reverse what they described as the unfair nomination of the party’s House of Representatives candidate for the Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Irepodun/Isin Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.
The monarchs, under the Joint Traditional Councils of Ekiti and Oke-Ero LGAs, argued that the nomination of the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. AbdulRaheem Olawuyi, undermines the principles of equity, justice and inclusiveness that were earlier agreed upon by stakeholders in the constituency.
Addressing journalists through a statement jointly signed by the Chairmen of the Ekiti and Oke-Ero Traditional Councils, the royal fathers said the Ekiti Bloc, comprising Ekiti and Oke-Ero LGAs, has never produced a member of the House of Representatives since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
According to them, all occupants of the seat since 1999 have emerged from the Igbomina Bloc, made up of Irepodun and Isin LGAs, with Irepodun alone accounting for 24 of the expected 28 years by 2027.
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The monarchs maintained that both Blocs had previously reached an understanding that, in the interest of fairness, the Kwara South Senatorial ticket would go to the Igbomina Bloc, while the House of Representatives ticket would be ceded to the Ekiti Bloc.
They noted that while the APC had already produced its senatorial candidate from Irepodun Local Government Area, the reported decision to also retain the House of Representatives ticket in the same local government was contrary to the spirit of the agreement.
“It is therefore with deep dismay that we note the report that the APC has again retained the House of Representatives ticket in the same Irepodun LGA where the Senate candidate came from,” the monarchs said.
According to them, such an arrangement would leave the Ekiti Bloc, which has 20 of the 42 wards in the federal constituency, without representation on the APC ticket despite waiting for nearly three decades.
The traditional rulers also questioned the process that produced the party’s candidate, insisting that results of the APC primary election allegedly showed that Hon. Abolarin Ganiyu Gabriel from Ekiti Local Government secured the highest number of votes.
They claimed Abolarin polled 17,128 votes to defeat other aspirants, while the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Olawuyi, reportedly came sixth with 2,978 votes.
“To discard this mandate is to tell our people that votes do not count in APC Kwara,” the statement read.
The monarchs appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the APC National Chairman and the leadership of the party in the state to intervene by restoring what they described as the mandate freely given to Abolarin during the party’s primary election.
“It will be a grave injustice for Ekiti and Oke-Ero to be denied a ticket they have waited 28 years for, especially when one of our sons has already won it at the ballot.
“Equity is not divisive. It is the glue of unity. The Igbomina Bloc has had its turn. The Senate seat is theirs. The House of Representatives seat must now come to the Ekiti Bloc,” the royal fathers stated.
While reaffirming their commitment to peace, the monarchs stressed that lasting unity could only be achieved through fairness and equal opportunities for all sections of the constituency.
“The throne is above politics, but it cannot be blind to injustice. We remain committed to peace. But peace without fairness is a truce, not unity.
“The Ekiti Bloc has been patient since 1999. Our patience must not be mistaken for weakness. Let fairness prevail. Let the Ekiti Bloc have its turn,” they added.
