The member representing Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Irepodun/Osi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, on Saturday insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has never rigged elections, saying the party’s victories result from effective voter mobilisation.
Olawuyi made the remark in Omu-Aran, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, during the official launch of the APC membership electronic registration (e-registration) exercise at Omu-Aran Ward I.
According to the lawmaker, the APC focuses on grassroots mobilisation rather than electoral malpractice.
“We are good at mobilising people into our party; we don’t rig elections in APC.
“We’ve never thought about rigging. My people can testify. I’ve never told them about rigging elections. I don’t even know how they do it,” he said.
Olawuyi explained that his political strategy centres on early preparation and voter mobilisation.
“Before an election, I would have prepared myself and asked how many votes I’ll get in every polling booth. It’s about mobilisation. By the time your opponents wake up to rig an election, they’ve lost already,” he said.
Speaking on the ongoing APC e-registration exercise, Olawuyi said the programme is designed to revalidate party members and ensure that membership strength aligns with electoral performance.
He noted that the number of votes recorded during elections has not always matched the party’s membership figures, citing the 2023 presidential election as an example.
“In the 2023 presidential election, which we won, the votes didn’t tally with about 42 million membership registration number of our party,” he said.
Describing President Bola Tinubu as a “practical and scientific politician,” Olawuyi said the administration is keen on establishing the true numerical strength of the party nationwide.
“We want to know the original value of our strength, the total number of members in each ward, polling units and up to the national level,” he said.
Olawuyi further explained that the e-registration exercise will eliminate multiple registrations, as each membership will be linked to the National Identification Number.
“Importantly, there won’t be double registration as each membership is tied to NIN. The system would discover such discrepancies,” he said.
He urged APC members in the constituency to mobilise more people into the party to ensure stronger political representation and influence at all levels of governance.
The lawmaker also spoke on his popular political alias, Ajuloopin, which means “seniority has no limitations,” saying the name was inherited from his father.
“If you come from a family with a good name, you would want to add your own value to the name. I’ve benefited a lot from the name,” he said.
“A lot of people didn’t know me when I came into politics, but immediately they hear Ajuloopin, they say we don’t know you, but we know your father. Since then, I’ve been building on the values and integrity of the name.”
Also speaking at the event, the Speaker of the Irepodun Local Government Legislative Council, Aliyu Omoboye, encouraged party members to participate fully in the e-registration exercise, describing it as key to the APC’s electoral success.
“That is what will translate into victory come the 2027 general election for the APC.
“We have a great and bright chance in the coming general elections. When we mobilise for our party, we mobilise extensively. Definitely, we’re going to win the election come 2027,” Omoboye said.
