Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
About 105 House of Assembly aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State have been disqualified from seeking the ticket of the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
About 158 aspirants of the party were screened last Tuesday in Ilorin by the national officers of the party.
However, THISDAY checks yesterday revealed that the outcome of the screening exercise was pasted at the APC secretariat in Ilorin.
It was gathered that several serving lawmakers seeking second and third terms were among those declared “uncleared” by the party’s screening committee.
The affected aspirants, it was learnt, were listed in a document titled: ‘All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Nomination of Candidates for the 2027 General Election’.
THISDAY further learnt that out of the 158 aspirants who obtained nomination forms for the state House of Assembly election on the platform of the APC, only 53 were cleared to proceed in the race.
All lawmakers from the Kwara Central senatorial district seeking re-election were reportedly cleared, except the member representing Alanamu/Ajikobi constituency, Hon. Ayishat Tundun Alanamu.
However, the situation was different in some parts of Kwara South, where several incumbent lawmakers failed to secure clearance.
The two lawmakers from Ifelodun Local Government Area, Hon. Ganiyu Folabi Salahu, representing Omupo constituency, and Hon. Owolabi Olatunde Rasaq, representing Share/Oke-Ode constituency were screened out despite seeking another term.
Also affected were Hon. Bamigboye Joseph, Hon. Omotosho Olakunle Rasa,,q and Hon. Yusuf Abdulwaheed Gbenga, representing Oke-Ero, Isi, nd Essa/Shawo/Igboidun constituencies respectively, as they were equally declared uncleared by the panel.
However, lawmakers from Oyun Local Government Area, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Ojo Olayiwola Oyebode, were also cleared by the committee.
In Kwara North, the two serving lawmakers from Moro Local Government Area who sought re-election scaled through the screening exercise successfully.
The lawmaker representing Edu Constituency, Hon. Issa Gideon, who is currently under suspension by the Assembly over alleged misconduct and actions said to have brought the legislature into disrepute, was also not cleared to contest for a second term.
Only the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Danladi-Sali, the member representing Ekiti constituency, and Hon. Ganiyu Gabriel did not obtain nomination forms for re-election into the Assembly.
Danladi-Salihu last week obtained gubernatorial form nd had last week undergone screening by the party in Abuja ahead of the primaries w, for which he has been favoured to pick the party ticket.
Gabriel, on the other hand, is said to have obtained a House of Representatives nomination form to contest for the Ekiti/Isin/Irepodun/Oke-Ero federal constituency seat.
Speaking before the commencement of the screening exercise, the chairman of the committee, Prof. Success Musa, said the high number of aspirants reflected the growing popularity and acceptance of the APC in Kwara State.
According to him, “I learnt we have 158 aspirants for the House of Assembly alone. That is democracy. That is what APC represents. It is the kind of leadership shown by the chairman and our governor.”
The development has reportedly triggered anxiety among some incumbent lawmakers and their supporters across the state, especially those seeking second and third-term tickets in the ruling party.
The Kwara State House of Assembly currently has 24 members representing constituencies across the 16 local government areas of the state, with some councils having more than one constituency due to population distribution.
