Why I contested Oyo senatorial seat — Shina Peller

The lawmaker representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Shina Peller, says he decided to contest for senatorial seat on the request of his constituents.

Peller, who failed to clinch the senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said other local governments within his constituency – Kajola and Iwajowa – have not presented a House of Reps candidate for about sixteen years.

The federal lawmaker said only Iseyin and Itesiwaju have been producing representatives for his constituency, adding that his return to the House of Reps for a second term will deny the constituents the opportunity to present a representative for twenty years.

He made this known via a series of tweets on his verified Twitter handle on Thursday.

Peller had last week lost to the incumbent senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari.

He polled 05 votes in the primaries, while Buhari garnered 570 votes.

The lawmaker stated: “Many people wonder why I chose not to return to the House of Representatives for the second term.

“For the sake of integrity, my decision is based on my consideration of other local governments within my constituency- Kajola and Iwajowa who haven’t presented a representative for almost 16 years now.

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“Returning to the House for the second term will mean denying them the opportunity to present a representative for twenty years.

“By 2023 when I will be completing my first term as a member of the House of Representatives, it will make it sixteen (16) uninterrupted years that Iseyin/Itesiwaju have been producing representatives for the constituency leaving out the people from Kajola/Iwajowa.

“My people from Kajola/Iwajowa feel the people from Iseyin haven’t been fair enough to them in this regard, and I share their pain.

“This was why I made up my mind to throw my weight behind choosing a qualified person from Kajola/Iwajowa to represent our federal constituency in 2023, while I am yielding the call of my people from Oke Ogun to opt for the Oyo North Senatorial District seat.

“And I cannot be seen leading the liberation of Okeogun people and not fair to the local govts within my constituency.

“So, to those that feel I should return to the House of Reps, it’s not all about me alone; it’s about putting into consideration my integrity and overall interest of all,” Shina Peller said.

The Star