PDP Crisis: Turaki-led faction announces rival guber candidate in Kwara

The leadership crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the national level has taken a dramatic turn in Kwara State, with rival factions conducting separate governorship primaries and producing parallel candidates for the 2027 election. The development has thrown the opposition party into uncertainty barely a week after it celebrated what appeared to be a hard-won consensus arrangement aimed at presenting a united front against the ruling APC in the state. While the mainstream PDP structure in Kwara had earlier announced Engr. Kale Kawu as its consensus governorship candidate, a rival faction aligned with the national leadership bloc led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki announced Alhaji Ladi Hassan as its own flag-bearer. Hassan is a long-time ally of Saraki. The emergence of two candidates has raised questions over the fortunes of the PDP in the state ahead of 2027. Confirming the development during a telephone interview on Monday, Hassan told Daily Trust that he emerged under the faction’s platform and would address the matter in greater detail later. “Yes, I am with the Turaki-led faction and yes, I am their candidate,” he said. Asked about the possible consequences of the split for the PDP’s electoral fortunes in Kwara, Hassan declined to comment extensively. “Well, I don’t know about that one, but I am their candidate and at the appropriate time, I will address the press on the issue,” he added. The latest twist comes against the backdrop of a carefully negotiated consensus process spearheaded by former Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and other party leaders. Last week, Saraki announced Kawu as the consensus choice after consultations with stakeholders and leading governorship aspirants, describing the arrangement as a demonstration of unity and sacrifice within the party. At the time, aspirants who had sought the ticket publicly, including Ladi Hassan, agreed to support the consensus process in a move seen as an attempt to avoid a divisive primary contest. However, the latest development has cast fresh doubt over the effectiveness of that agreement and exposed the depth of the national leadership dispute now reverberating across state chapters. Reacting to the emergence of the rival candidate, the Kwara PDP leadership dismissed the exercise and accused external forces of attempting to destabilise the party. State Secretary, Kayode Abdulrahman, alleged that the factional process lacked legitimacy and was being driven by interests outside the recognised party structure. According to him, Hassan had participated in the PDP governorship process but failed to secure the ticket before subsequently emerging from “a faction not recognised by the electoral commission. “For him to have gone to emerge as a governorship candidate in the fake PDP that’s not recognised by INEC speaks volumes.” “He must have been sponsored by people outside our party. But I assure you they can’t succeed”, Abdulrahman said.