No fewer than 16 out of 22 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State House failed to get return ticket to the legislative house, Daily Trust has learnt.

However, two of the members, Speaker Razaq Atunwa (Owode/Onire) and Hon. Tope Olayonu (Ojomu/Balogun) are to contest the House of Representatives seats. Also, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Justice, Dr. Ali Ahmad was elected as the APC House of Assembly candidate for Ilorin South constituency in the 2015 election.

Ahmad who currently represents Ilorin East/South federal constituency in the National Assembly was elected unopposed polling 317 votes in the primary.

Daily Trust gathered that the emergence of the lawmaker was premised on the APC power sharing arrangement which would see him emerging the Speaker of the House of Assembly in the coming dispensation.

Daily Trust correspondent reports that most of the APC candidates who contested the primary on Tuesday emerged through consensus.

However, only six members of the current assembly got return ticket. They included Hon. Moshood Bakare (Omupo); Segilola Abdulkadir (Ilorin Central); Kamal Fagbemi (Oke Ogun); Hassan Oyeleke (Essa/Sawo/Igboidun) and Ebun Owolabi (Ekiti).

Reports from across the state however indicate that the exercise was conducted peacefully in the presence of stern-looking security operatives.

The state Publicity Secretary of APC, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari described the primary as very successful and rancour-free. He commended members of the party for conducting themselves peacefully.