For the first time in 20 years of active electoral participation, former federal lawmaker, Hon. Ajibola Muraina, has failed to secure the ticket of a major political party in Ibarapa politics.
Muraina, a third-term member of the House of Representatives and the longest-serving federal lawmaker in Ibarapa Land, had maintained an unbroken streak of appearing on the ballot of either of the two dominant political parties in the constituency since 2007.
The former Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum first emerged under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on whose platform he contested elections in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. During that period, he lost only once, which was in the 2015 general election.
Following his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022, Muraina remarkably clinched the party’s ticket barely 15 days after joining the ruling party, a development that reinforced his reputation as a formidable political force in the constituency.
However, despite securing the APC ticket in 2022, he eventually lost the general election to the incumbent lawmaker, Hon. Adebayo Adepoju.
The latest political development has now altered the narrative, as former Ibarapa Central Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Hon. Sarafa Olaoniye, popularly known as Bibire, reportedly emerged as the APC candidate for Ibarapa Central/Ibarapa North Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.
With the outcome, Olaoniye now holds the distinction of being the first politician to successfully halt Muraina’s long-standing dominance in securing tickets of major political parties in the constituency, a political feat many observers had previously considered almost impossible.
Political analysts say the development marks a major turning point in the power dynamics of Ibarapa politics, especially within the APC, where Muraina had remained a highly influential figure in recent years.
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