By Muyideen Aliyu
The national leadership crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has spilled into Kwara State, as two separate governorship primaries conducted by opposing factions have produced parallel candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The PDP had announced over the weekend that Engineer Kale Kawu Agaka had emerged as its standard-bearer.
However, a faction loyal to the Turaki-led national leadership of the party countered on Sunday by nominating Alhaji Ladi Hassan as its own governorship candidate.
Hassan emerged from the faction led by Kabir Turaki (SAN), while Kale Kawu secured the ticket from the side led by Abdulrahman Mohammed.
With the emergence of two candidates from the same party, political watchers in the state have expressed fears of a prolonged legal and political battle over which ticket will ultimately be recognized by electoral authorities.
Reacting to the development, the Kwara State PDP Chairman, Alhaji Isa Adamu Bawa, alleged that Hassan’s factional candidacy is being sponsored and promoted by the Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilize the opposition party.
Bawa explained that Hassan had originally obtained his nomination form from the Bawa-led state executive and participated in the screening process under the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)-recognized national chairman, Hon. Abdulrahman Mohammed.
“For him to have gone ahead to emerge as a governorship candidate in a fake PDP faction that is not recognized by INEC speaks volumes about the validity of his ticket,” the PDP chairman added.
Stakeholders have warned that this deep split could severely undermine the major opposition party’s ability to present a united front in Kwara State for the 2027 general elections.
While party stakeholders and supporters have begun calling for urgent reconciliation, both factions remain entrenched. Attention is now turning toward INEC and the courts to determine which candidate will legally represent the PDP in the governorship race.
This latest development is expected to have significant implications for the political landscape in Kwara State as preparations for the general elections gather momentum.