Kwara APC chieftain warns of impending defeat in Reps race

By Zika Bobby

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, Adewale Waheed, has cautioned the party against handing the House of Representatives ticket for the Ekiti/Irepodun/Isin/Oke-Ero Federal Constituency to Raheem Olatunji Olawuyi, warning that the move could cost the party victory at the polls.

Waheed appealed to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, to review the decision, insisting that presenting Olawuyi as the party’s candidate would amount to gifting victory to the opposition.

He argued that Olawuyi, who allegedly placed fourth in the party’s primary election despite being a sitting third term member, should not emerge as the candidate if the APC intends to remain competitive in the constituency.

Describing the development as unfair to other contestants, Waheed said it was “laughable and unimaginable” that Olawuyi could be named the candidate despite allegedly failing to win his own ward during the primaries.

“If it is true that Raheem Olatunji Olawuyi has been awarded the ticket, the people will revolt against his candidature. It will not only be a slap on the electorate but also provide the opposition with an easy path to victory. He is simply not marketable politically, making him a burden to the party, and members will find it difficult to mobilise support for him. We should not allow our party to end up in the trash bin of Kwara politics because of the desperate desires of a failed representative,” he said.

Waheed urged Prof. Yilwatda and the party’s National Working Committee to ensure that the eventual candidate reflects the wishes of party members and possesses the capacity to retain the federal constituency for the APC.