 senatorial ticket in Kwara North has taken a dramatic turn, with a former Commissioner for){kind=link}
By Abdullahi Inuwa
The battle for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial ticket in Kwara North has taken a dramatic turn, with a former Commissioner for Works, Suleiman Rotimi Iliasu, asking the Federal High Court in Ilorin to stop the party from replacing him with another candidate.
Iliasu has dragged the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Baba Kolo Jiyah before the court, insisting that he remains the legitimate candidate of the opposition party for the Kwara North Senatorial District.
The legal action followed the appearance of Jiyah’s name on INEC’s recently published list of candidates for the 2027 general election.
In the suit, marked FHC/IL/CS/136/2026, Iliasu is challenging what he described as an unlawful substitution of his candidature after he emerged victorious at the PDP primary held on May 20.
He told the court, through his lawyers at Alajo & Associates, Ilorin, that INEC had initially recognised him as the PDP candidate and published his name on August 1.
The former commissioner is now asking the court to determine whether the subsequent replacement of his name with Jiyah’s was carried out in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026.
At the heart of the dispute is Iliasu’s claim that he never withdrew from the race.
His lawyers argue that his name could not lawfully have been substituted without his withdrawal, relying on the provisions of Section 31 of the Electoral Act, 2026.
Iliasu is consequently seeking a declaration that the substitution is invalid and that he remains the duly nominated PDP candidate for Kwara North.
He is further asking the court to direct INEC to recognise him as the party’s candidate and prevent the commission, its officials and agents from recognising Jiyah in that capacity until the case is finally determined.
The legal battle could further complicate the PDP’s preparations for the 2027 elections in Kwara, where several high-profile contests are already taking shape.
INEC’s latest candidate publication has placed Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of the APC and incumbent Senator Saliu Mustapha of the PDP in the spotlight in the Kwara Central senatorial contest.
The governorship race is equally attracting attention, with APC presenting Speaker Yakubu Danladi-Salihu and PDP fielding Bolakale Kawu.
Other parties listed for the governorship contest include SDP, ADP, Accord, ADC, NDC, APP, AA, APM, NDP, APGA and NNPP.
Former House of Representatives member Zakari Mohammed of the ADC and Professor Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia of the NDC are also among the notable figures expected to shape the political contest.
For now, the Kwara North senatorial ticket has moved beyond party structures and campaign platforms to the courtroom, with the outcome of Iliasu’s suit potentially determining who ultimately flies the PDP flag in the district in 2027.
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