Nigeria’s youngest lawmaker, Rukayat Shittu, has secured victory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) re-election primary for the Owode/Onire State Constituency seat in the Kwara State House of Assembly, defeating her sole challenger, Sulyman Ayegun. Her win positions her as the APC flag bearer ahead of the general election and signals strong support within party ranks.
Shittu’s emergence is particularly significant in a constituency where political representation has traditionally rotated between the Owode and Onire axes, limiting lawmakers to a single term. If she succeeds in the general election, she would become the first representative to break that cycle by securing a second term.
Her victory builds on a remarkable journey. Born on June 6, 1996, in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, Shittu attended Baptist LGEA Primary School and Government Girls’ Day Secondary School in Ilorin before earning a diploma in Mass Communication and Islamic Studies. She later graduated with a B.Sc. in Mass Communication from the National Open University of Nigeria in 2022.
She first rose to prominence as the first female Senate President of the Congress of NOUN Students, representing over 85 study centers nationwide. Professionally, she worked as Head of News at Just Event Online Publication and participated in the 2019 “Otoge” Revolution, a grassroots movement that reshaped Kwara politics.
In 2023, she made history as Nigeria’s youngest elected legislator when she won the Owode/Onire seat under the APC. Since then, she has served on several committees in the Kwara State House of Assembly, including as Chairman of the House Committee on Youth, Sports and Information.
Observers described the primary as keenly contested, with Shittu’s victory seen as a reflection of her growing influence and the confidence of party members in her leadership. Political stakeholders say the outcome sets the stage for a closely watched contest, as parties begin mobilizing across the constituency. Her campaign is expected to focus on her record in office and her vision for continued representation, while the broader political landscape in Kwara will be watching closely to see if she can rewrite history in Owode/Onire.
