Two separate governorship primaries conducted by factions of the the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Kwara State have produced parallel governorship candidates for the 2027 general elections.
The party had penultimate Sunday announced Engr Bolakale Agaka as its standard bearer, while the faction loyal to the Kabir Turaki-led national leadership of the party nominated Alh Ladi Hassan as its governorship candidate on Sunday.
Political watchers in the state have expressed fears of a prolonged legal and political battle over which ticket will be recognised by electoral authorities with the emergence of two candidates from the same party.
Speaking on the development, the state secretary of the PDP, Kayode Abdulrahman, said that the factional PDP governorship candidate was sponsored by non-PDP members in the state to destabilise the party.
He said that Ladi Hassan got a nomination form from the PDP and participated in the party’s governorship primaries where he lost.
“For him to have gone to emerge as a governorship candidate in the ‘fake’ PDP that’s not recognised by the INEC speaks volumes. He must have been sponsored by people outside our party. But I assure you they can’t succeed,” he said.
Political observers have, however, warned that the split could severely undermine the PDP’s ability to present a united front in Kwara, a state the opposition is keen to reclaim.
