A youth coalition in Ekiti North has warned political parties against handing 2027 National Assembly tickets to incumbent lawmakers, accusing party leaders of pushing a quiet agenda to retain “underperforming” legislators without open contest.
The group, Ekiti North Progressive Youth Alliance (EKNPYA), said it would resist any move to return Senator Cyril Fasuyi as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the senatorial district, insisting such an arrangement undermines internal democracy and voter choice.
In a statement signed by its coordinator, Tayelolu Ajayi, and released in Ido Ekiti on Thursday, the group described ongoing consensus talks favouring incumbents as “a political fraud” designed to sideline credible aspirants.
Mr Ajayi challenged what he called attempts to portray the senator as a high-performing first-term lawmaker deserving automatic return to the Senate, arguing that such claims do not reflect the realities on ground.
He said the district could not measure effective representation by “limited interventions,” citing federal job slots, distribution of laptops, payment of JAMB fees, installation of streetlights, and fertiliser support as insufficient benchmarks for legislative performance.
“Representation is no longer about occupying a seat,” the statement read. “It is about measurable impact, visible development, and sustained advocacy that translates into real gains for constituents.”
The group noted that Ekiti North, made up of Ikole, Oye, Ido/Osi, Moba, and Ilejemeje local governments, has vast human and natural resources but has yet to fully leverage its senatorial office for broad-based development.
It called for a shift towards what it described as “performance-driven leadership,” stressing the need for large-scale infrastructure projects, structured empowerment programmes, and stronger federal presence across the district.
EKNPYA also renewed calls for zoning the senatorial ticket to Ikole Local Government, arguing that the area, despite being the largest in the district, has not produced a senator since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
“Equity and fairness demand that Ikole gets a real opportunity this time,” the group said, warning that continued exclusion could deepen political resentment and stall collective progress.
The coalition urged political stakeholders to prioritise competence, inclusion, and long-term development over what it termed “recycling mediocrity,” adding that 2027 presents a chance to reset representation in Ekiti North.
“Leadership is a responsibility, not a birthright,” the statement added. “If the current output represents the best we can achieve, then it is time to rethink and allow fresh capacity to emerge.”
