Nigeria’s youngest lawmaker, Rukayat Shittu, has won the All Progressives Congress re-election primary, securing the party’s ticket to contest the Owode/Onire State Constituency seat in the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Shittu defeated her only cleared opponent, Sulyman Ayegun, during the primary held on Wednesday, positioning herself as the APC’s flag bearer ahead of the general election.
The outcome carries particular significance given the constituency’s long-standing political tradition of rotating representation between the Owode and Onire axes, an arrangement that has historically restricted lawmakers to a single term in office.
Her victory in the primary therefore represents a direct challenge to that entrenched pattern.
Party officials and observers described the exercise as a keenly fought contest, with Shittu’s emergence reflecting considerable support within the party’s ranks.
She is expected to campaign on her track record and her vision for the constituency as she heads into the next electoral phase.
Should she go on to win the general election, Shittu would make history as the first lawmaker to serve a second consecutive term in Owode/Onire, effectively breaking a political norm that has defined the constituency for years.
Political stakeholders say the primary result sets the stage for what is likely to be a closely watched and competitive general election, as parties begin mobilising their structures across the constituency in preparation for the polls.
