Screening: APC receives petition against Ekiti senator

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday began the screening of aspirants for various elective positions ahead of its 2027 election primaries, with a member from Ekiti State, Afuye Idowu, filing the first petition, calling for the disqualification of Senator Cyril Fasuyi from the forthcoming Ekiti North Senatorial District primary elections. The petition, dated May 2, 2026 and addressed to APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, accused Fasuyi — who currently represents Ekiti North Senatorial District in the Senate and is seeking the party’s ticket for a return — of poor legislative performance, violation of the petitioner’s fundamental rights, and instigating his unlawful arrest and imprisonment on false allegations. The petition was copied to the APC National Secretary, Senator Basiru Ajibola, and the APC Senatorial Primary Elections Screening Committee.

On legislative performance, Idowu indicated Fasuyi had nothing to show for nearly three years in the Senate. “In the almost three years that Senator Cyril Fasuyi has been a member of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he has not personally sponsored any landmark legislation or bill that will benefit the people of Ekiti North Senatorial District, Ekiti State or Nigeria as a whole. “He is not reported to have moved any serious motion or made any significant contributions to debates on the floor of the Senate, which implies that the people of Ekiti North Senatorial District do not have a voice of representation in the Senate,” the petitioner outlined. The petitioner also recounted how a public review he conducted in 2025, assessing the performance of past and present National Assembly members, drew a violent response from the senator.

While he showed other lawmakers were inspired to better performance by his observations, Fasuyi allegedly took offence and sent thugs to harass him on several occasions. The situation, from Idowu, escalated dramatically on the night of July 31, 2025, when he indicated officers of the Rapid Response Squad RRS of the Ekiti State Police Command arrested him around 9pm at a private residence on the instigation of the senator, and without any prior invitation or notification.

“I was detained and taken before an Ado Ekiti Magistrate Court. Before my arraignment, I was informed that I could be released only if I promised that I would retract my previous statements about the poor performance of Senator Fasuyi and begin to praise him,” he wrote. When he refused to make such a promise, the RRS officers applied for him to be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service NCoS for 14 days while investigations continued.