Kwara APC primaries denied many, fell short of expectations — Aspirant

By Muyideen Aliyu

A former House of Representatives aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ilorin East/Ilorin South Federal Constituency in Kwara State, Ambassador Ibrahim Tajudeen Shola, popularly known as Olesin, has petitioned Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and the party’s reconciliation committee over the conduct of the party’s 2026 primary election.

Olesin, in the petition dated July 13, 2026, alleged that the primary election fell short of the principles of fairness, transparency, and internal democracy.

He stated that he had fulfilled all requirements for the contest, purchased the nomination forms, consulted widely across the constituency, and invested significant time, resources, and personal commitment into the race.

The former aspirant claimed that despite repeated efforts, he could not secure an audience with Governor AbdulRazaq throughout the campaign period, adding that he was neither invited for discussions nor given any feedback on his aspiration.

According to him, “On the day scheduled for the direct primaries, after party members had gathered and arrangements for voting had been concluded, some elders from the Ilorin East Local Government informed me that the governor had a preferred aspirant for the seat.”

Olesin argued that while the governor has the right to support any aspirant of his choice, such a preference ought to have been pursued within the provisions of the APC Constitution and the party’s guidelines, rather than after the commencement of the direct primary process.

He alleged that the primary election was abruptly halted and the preferred aspirant was subsequently announced as the party’s candidate, a development he claims denied thousands of party members the opportunity to freely choose their representative through a democratic process.

The former aspirant stressed that his grievance was not merely about the eventual outcome, but about the flawed process through which that outcome was reached.

He argued that every aspirant deserved an equal opportunity to engage the party leadership or test their popularity through a transparent and credible primary election.

Olesin added that he deliberately refrained from making inflammatory public statements in the interest of peace, insisting that his petition was not against the APC as an institution, but against a process that left him feeling ignored, undervalued, and excluded despite his years of loyalty, sacrifice, and contributions to the party.