The political landscape in Kwara State has been stirred by the emergence of parallel governorship candidates from two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), setting the stage for a contentious political and legal battle ahead of the 2027 general elections. This unprecedented situation has led to significant concern among political observers regarding the party's stability and electoral prospects.

Initially, one faction of the PDP had, the penultimate Sunday, announced Engr Bolakale Agaka as its standard bearer for the upcoming elections. However, a separate faction, demonstrating loyalty to the Kabir Turaki-led national leadership of the party, subsequently nominated Alh Ladi Hassan as its governorship candidate on Sunday. This dual candidacy from the same party has immediately sparked fears of a prolonged and intense legal and political struggle over which candidate will ultimately gain recognition from the electoral authorities.

Addressing the concerning development, Kayode Abdulrahman, the state secretary of the PDP, voiced strong disapproval of the parallel primary that produced Alh Ladi Hassan. Abdulrahman asserted that this factional governorship candidate was orchestrated and sponsored by individuals outside of the PDP, with the explicit aim of destabilizing the party within the state. He elaborated that Ladi Hassan had previously obtained a nomination form from the legitimate PDP structure and participated in the party's governorship primaries, where he was defeated.

“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,” Abdulrahman stated, underscoring the party's official stance that Hassan's new candidacy lacks legitimacy and is a hostile maneuver. Despite these assurances from the party leadership, political observers have issued a stark warning that such an internal split could severely cripple the PDP's ability to present a unified and cohesive front in Kwara State. This is particularly critical in a state that the opposition party is reportedly very keen to reclaim in the upcoming elections, making party unity paramount to their success.