‘We don’t rig elections’: Kwara rep member credits APC victories to mass mobilisation

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Raheem Tunji Olawuyi, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) records electoral victories through effective grassroots mobilisation and strategic preparation, not election rigging.

Olawuyi, who represents Ekiti/Oke-Ero/Irepodun/Osi Federal Constituency of Kwara State, made the assertion in Omu-Aran, headquarters of Irepodun Local Government Area, during the official launch of the APC membership electronic registration (e-registration) exercise at Omu-Aran Ward I.

According to the lawmaker, the ruling party places greater emphasis on mobilising voters at the grassroots than engaging in 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,” Olawuyi said.

He explained that his political strategy is built around early preparation and careful assessment of expected votes across polling units.

“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 added.

Speaking on the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise, Olawuyi said the initiative is aimed at revalidating party members and ensuring that the party’s membership strength aligns with its electoral performance. He noted that past elections had revealed disparities between APC’s registered membership figures and actual votes recorded.

“In the 2023 presidential election, which we won, the votes didn’t tally with the 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 determining the party’s true numerical strength from the ward level to the national level.

“We want to know the original value of our strength — the total number of members in each ward, polling unit and up to the national level,” he stated.

He further explained that the e-registration system would prevent multiple registrations, as each member’s record is linked to the National Identification Number (NIN).

“There won’t be double registration because each membership is tied to NIN. The system will detect any discrepancies,” he said, urging party members to mobilise more people into the APC to strengthen its influence.

Olawuyi also spoke on his political alias, Ajuloopin, meaning “seniority has no limitations,” which he said he inherited from his father and has continued to uphold through integrity and service.

Also speaking at the event, the Speaker of the Irepodun Local Government Legislative Council, Aliyu Omoboye, encouraged party members to actively participate in the e-registration exercise, describing it as critical to the APC’s chances in the 2027 general elections.

“When we mobilise for our party, we mobilise extensively. That is what will translate into victory for the APC come 2027,” Omoboye said.