Penultimate week, Oba Abdulkadri Magaji emerged as the new candidate of the Kwara state APC for the upcoming Ilorin Central House of Assembly election against all odds.
Hon Magaji Abubakar Olawoyin’s death on Monday 9 January 2023 had set the stage for a possible bruising battle over his replacement.
Olawoyin was not only a prominent member of the ruling APC in the state but also the House Leader of, the Kwara state House of Assembly.
Magaji, who was, until his death, the representative of Ilorin Central state constituency, had also sought to retain his parliament seat this year as one of the House of Assembly members that had gotten nominated by the APC for the House of Assembly election scheduled to hold in March.
In the primary election that was held last year, Hon. Abubakar Olawoyin had 13 votes, Abdulrasheed Laaro Oladimeji got 2 votes, Engineer Isiaka Toyin Agaka, Bello Munirat Bolajoko, and Lawal Abimbola Monshurat had 1 vote each.
Section 33 of the 2022 electoral act says:
‘A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute a candidate whose name has been submitted under section 29 of this act except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate.
Provided that in the case of such withdrawal or death of a candidate, the political party affected shall within 14 days of the occurrence of the event hold a fresh primary election to produce and submit a fresh candidate to the commission for the election concerned’
Kwara state APC had since met the deadline by taking a definitive decision on who should be nominated as its new candidate.
The primary election organized to produce a new candidate was held at the Kwara State Council for Art and Culture, Ilorin penultimate week and it had five people from each of the five wards in the constituency playing the role of party delegates .
The constituency comprises five Wards; Badari, Oko Erin, Magaji ngeri, Warah and Baboko.
Barrister Oba Magaji Abdulkadir, who is late Hon Magaji Abubakar Olawoyin’s brother, had since emerged as winner of the primary election.
