A fresh controversy has erupted within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State over the party’s House of Representatives ticket for the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency, with stakeholders calling for a review of the candidate selected for the 2027 general elections.

The aggrieved party leaders urged the National Working Committee (NWC) to reverse the decision that reportedly produced the incumbent lawmaker, Raheem Olawuyi, as the candidate, insisting that the outcome did not reflect the results of the May 16, 2026, primary election.

Stating that the results of the election showed that Abolarin Ganiyu polled 17,128 votes to emerge first, while Olawuyi scored 2,978 votes and placed sixth, they expressed surprise that Olawuyi was later announced as the party’s candidate.

In another development, some APC groups and members staged a peaceful protest in Benue State on Tuesday against the replacement of Prof. Kohol Iornem as the party’s candidate for Kwande/Ushongu federal constituency.

The protesters called on the NWC to respect the outcome of the House of Representatives primary election for the constituency, with Iornem having been declared winner of the May 16 APC primary election with 40, 672 votes to beat the other five contestants, including the incumbent Terseer Ugbor, who polled 750 votes.

The protesters said that they were concerned about the reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had presented the nomination form to Ugbor, whom they did not vote for.

Led by APC members, including Ken Kaase, Aondolumun Ordorugh and others, the protesters urged the APC leadership to protect the integrity of its internal democratic processes and ensure that the votes of party members during the party primaries are respected.

They further warned that imposing a candidate, contrary to the wishes of party members, could create disaffection, weaken party unity, and diminish the party’s electoral strength in the constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In an open letter to the party yesterday, the Kwara APC stakeholders alleged that the declared candidate did not win the primary election and warned that the development could deepen political imbalance within the constituency.

Titled “A passionate appeal to reconsider the APC choice of candidacy for Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency for the 2027 general elections,” the letter was signed by the APC Chairman in Ekiti Local Council Area of the state, Ajibola Ayoola; his Oke-Ero counterpart, James Bamidele; the Chairman of Ekiti Local Council, Awelewa Olawale; and the Chairman of Oke-Ero Local Council, Kayode Towoju, among others.

They argued that replacing the alleged winner of the primary would not only undermine internal democracy but also perpetuate what they described as decades of political marginalisation of the Ekiti and Oke-Ero axis of the constituency. Similarly, an APC chieftain in the state, Adewale Waheed, urged the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, to review the candidate selection, warning that imposing Olawuyi could jeopardise the party’s chances in the general election.