Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has announced Kale Kawu as the consensus governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State.
Mr Saraki disclosed this in a statement on Friday after what he described as extensive consultations with party stakeholders and governorship aspirants.
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“I am pleased to announce that, after extensive consultations with stakeholders of the Kwara PDP and our leading gubernatorial aspirants, we have arrived at a consensus candidate to fly the flag of our great party in the forthcoming gubernatorial election,” Mr Saraki said.
“That candidate is Engr. Kale Kawu.”
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The former senate president said other aspirants agreed to step down in support of the consensus arrangement in the interest of party unity.
“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the other aspirants who, in the supreme interest of our party and state, have graciously stepped down to support this consensus,” he said.
“It is this spirit of unity and selflessness that will carry us to victory.”
Mr Saraki also wished party members and delegates a peaceful conduct during the governorship primary scheduled to hold on Friday.
“I wish all our members, delegates, and teeming supporters a successful, peaceful, and orderly outing at tomorrow’s gubernatorial primaries,” he added.
The announcement comes shortly after the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) nominated Yakubu Danladi-Salihu as its flagbearer.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the APC governorship primary was marked by internal disagreements, postponements, and allegations of attempts to impose candidates on party members.
At least 16 aspirants had purchased nomination forms for the APC governorship race, while several aspirants boycotted a strategic meeting convened by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq over fears of a predetermined consensus arrangement.
The APC crisis later deepened after Governor AbdulRazaq first endorsed businessman Abdulfatai Seriki-Gambari as his preferred successor before backing Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, shortly before the primary election.
Mr Danladi-Salihu eventually emerged as the APC governorship candidate after polling more than 94,000 votes in the party’s primary conducted across the state.
Political observers say the PDP’s consensus arrangement may be aimed at avoiding the kind of internal crisis currently facing the APC in the state.
The PDP move also follows recent warnings by some APC stakeholders that internal divisions and unpopular primary outcomes could weaken the ruling party ahead of the 2027 election.
Speaking earlier on behalf of Kwara South APC Opinion Leaders, Uthman Alabi warned that the PDP could reclaim power in the state if the APC failed to conduct transparent and credible primaries.
“We respectfully call on all those entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the Senate primaries to ensure that no avoidable errors are made, errors that may later haunt our party and weaken our collective political future,” Mr Alabi had said.
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He warned that imposing unpopular candidates could create divisions capable of benefiting opposition parties in the state.
Similarly, a civil society group, Good Citizens for Peace and Progress Initiative (GCPPI), recently urged the PDP to prioritise competence, integrity, and experience in selecting its governorship candidate.
The group said Kwara needed leadership with “a proven record in governance and politics” and argued that the state could not afford “another experiment with inexperienced leadership.”
With both major parties now producing candidates ahead of the 2027 governorship contest, political activities in Kwara are expected to intensify in the coming months.
