Five major contenders for Kwara's 2027 governorship ticket under the PDP have embraced consensus over competition.
They made this pact at Dr. Bukola Saraki's Maitama home in Abuja.
Saraki, the former Senate President and party leader, hosted what insiders described as lengthy but cordial talks.
Ali Ahmad, ex-Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, joined the agreement. Omar Bolaji Gambari, son of late President Buhari's former Chief of Staff, also signed on.
Three others sealed the deal: Alhaji Ladi Hassan, a onetime Chief of Staff to Kwara's governor; Olaseni Ibiwoye, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria; and Engr Kale Kawu, retired boss of the Rural Electrification Agency.
"Party victory in 2027 matters more than any individual's ambition," the aspirants said in a joint statement. They committed to putting collective interest above personal gain.
According to them, internal squabbles would only weaken PDP ahead of elections. A united front, they argued, gives the opposition its best chance against incumbent All Progressives Congress structures in the state.
Under the agreement, the party machinery will oversee picking the flagbearer through consensus methods. Electoral laws and democratic principles must guide the entire process, they stressed.
Each aspirant pledged to accept whoever emerges from this process without complaint. "We will support the party's choice fully," their statement read.
They've already started meetings with supporters across Kwara to explain the new approach. No splinter campaigns will be tolerated, they warned their political networks.
Discipline in party ranks remains non-negotiable for electoral success, the group noted. They've also asked party leadership to manage the consensus exercise with complete fairness.
Religious leaders and stakeholders received calls for divine intervention in the selection process. The aspirants believe spiritual guidance will ensure transparency throughout.
Observers see this move as a sharp break from Kwara's recent political history. Previous opposition primaries turned ugly and fractured party unity in damaging ways.
This consensus model offers a template for preventing such disasters, analysts say. Whether it holds depends on how party elders handle the actual selection phase ahead.
