The forthcoming local government election in Kwara State should have seen a more formidable challenge from the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, but internal division gives the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP strong sense of optimism.

Kwarans go to the polls in the next few months for the next round of council polls with the shadow of a divided opposition hanging upon the electorate.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP at the state level had in the most recent election contended with the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP.

However, the ACN inevitably posed the most serious challenge to the party winning one of the 16 chairmanship slots in the last council election conducted three years ago.

One notable issue of contention that would have arisen in the event of a competitive electoral space is the operation of state/local government joint account, a scheme the opposition in the state have consistently alleged to be a channel by the state authorities to defraud the local governments.

Remarkably, the Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed administration has set the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) preparatory for the forthcoming local government polls.

How ready the commission is to conduct an election to alter the dominance of the PDP at the local government level is an issue that many stakeholders are looking out for.

Remarkably, the only local government area won by the opposition in the last council poll, Offa, was lost by the ACN following a court order for a rerun of the poll.

Even before the court order, the Offa/Erinle boundry communal crisis broke out forcing the government to wield the big stick by removing the council executives in the two affected local governments, Offa and Oyun.

Secretary to the state government, Alhaji Isiaka Gold while announcing the decision attributed it to lapses on the part of the chairmen who he said failed in nipping the insecurity in the bud.

The opposition, however, alleged that the action was a conspiracy to deny the ACN its only foothold in the council areas in the state.

Though it is believed that the forthcoming council elections would be a straight fight between the PDP and ACN, it is remarkable that the later could be entering the fray as a divided house.

So, instead of building on its past achievement, the ACN is today headed towards a crisis that would inevitably endanger its fortunes in the forthcoming local government elections.

The conflict is over positioning for the 2015 gubernatorial election.

So, whereas the ruling PDP which had in the past been accused of imposing candidates at the council level is now said to be departing from bad behaviour, the opposition it is alleged is not reinventing itself.

The PDP leader, Senator Bukola Saraki gave the indication during a recent meeting with party leaders from various levels in the state including state, local government and ward.

The ACN, however, is pitched in an intractable crisis that has defied solution for more than a year now.

The simmering crisis started when Dele Belgore, the party’s candidate in the 2011 election reportedly showed interest in again vying for the same position in 2015.

That, however, was against the inclination of the ACN’s national publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed who is regarded as the state leader of the party.

Mohammed it is claimed, is inclined towards seeking a candidate from another senatorial district different from Belgore’s Central district for the purpose of justice and fair play, a development that has now factionalised the party.

Meanwhile, some ACN stakeholders are vowing that nobody other than Belgore would contest the governorship on the platform of the ACN.

The stakeholders led by Dr. Saad Omoiya made their stance at a news conference recently.

In the shadow of that development, some members of the state caretaker committee of the party at an emergency meeting removed their chairman, Mr. Kayode Olawepo.

Their action was invariably linked to Olawepo’s alleged opposition to Belgores 2015 gubernatorial ambition.

He was further accused of collaborating with Lai Mohammed to conscript a gubernatorial candidate from outside the party for the 2015 election.

Olawepo has denied the allegation saying that his purported removal from office was the handiwork of a minority group in the party.

According to him 12 local government chairmen of the party are solidly behind him while four of the members of the caretaker committee are also in support of his leadership in the party.

Besides, sources say that the party’s leaders in Lagos may have become dispirited in their pursuit of capturing Kwara on the fact that it may be a mission impossible given that the house of Saraki which was formerly at war is now united behind Senator Bukola Saraki.