The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the House of Assembly election in Owode/Onire Constituency, Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State, Rukayat Motunrayo Shittu, as winner of the poll.

Announcing the results, INEC returning officer for the exercise, Prof Akeem Olasunkanmi Ijaiya, said Shittu polled 7,521 votes to defeat his closest rival, Abdullah Magaji of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 6,957 votes.

Prof Ijaiya declared: “Having scored the highest number of votes and satisfied the requirements of the law, she is hereby declared the winner of the election”.

Shittu , a former online journalist who entered the race in 2022 after she quit her job for politics, is the youngest lawmaker in the state and arguably the youngest in the country to clinch the House of Assembly seat in the 2023 House of Assembly elections.

Her announcement sparked jubilation in her constituency as supporters and party members took to the streets to celebrate her victory.

Reacting to her victory, the APC candidate, said, “I thanked the people of my constituency for voting en mass for me”.