The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kwara State chapter, has announced Reverend Cornelius Fawenu as the running mate to its governorship candidate, Bolakale Kawu, ahead of the 2027 elections.

The announcement was contained in a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary in the state, Olusegun Adewara, on Wednesday in Ilorin.

The party described. Fawenu as a person of proven integrity, humility, compassion, and exceptional leadership qualities.

“Rev. Fawenu is a man of proven integrity, humility, compassion and exceptional leadership whose emergence reflects the party’s commitment to presenting a competent, inclusive and people-oriented ticket capable of restoring purposeful governance to Kwara State,” the statement read in part.

According to the PDP, the decision followed extensive consultations, deliberations, and a rigorous selection process involving the governorship candidate and key stakeholders across the three senatorial districts of the state.

“The emergence of Reverend Fawenu followed extensive consultations, deliberations and a rigorous selection process involving the party’s governorship candidate and critical stakeholders from the three senatorial districts of the state.

“The Kawu-Fawenu ticket combines experience, innovation, grassroots engagement and religious balancing. The party has positioned itself to rescue and secure Kwara and its people from the current misgovernance and insecurity.

“The Kawu/Fawenu ticket embodies the competence, integrity, experience and inclusive leadership required to rescue Kwara State from the last eight years of hardship and insecurity and place it firmly on the path of sustainable development, economic prosperity, social justice and accountable governance.

“The Peoples Democratic Party therefore calls on all members of the party, supporters and indeed all well-meaning Kwarans to rally behind this formidable ticket as the movement to reclaim and reposition Kwara State gathers momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections,” the statement added.

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, has outlined his reasons for contesting the presidential election, saying his ambition is driven by a vision of building a “productive and prosperous Nigeria” and placing the country on the path of unity and national transformation.

Obi disclosed this in a statement released on Wednesday via his official X handle.

According to him, in the coming weeks and months, he would unveil a comprehensive roadmap aimed at curbing abuse in government, improving the quality of life of Nigerians, and fostering unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.

The former Anambra governor stated that his vision is anchored on the principles of unity, inclusion, social justice, equity and the freedom of every Nigerian to pursue lawful aspirations.

The statement titled ‘My Vision for a productive and prosperous Nigeria’ read, “Today, being the 1st of July, 2026, I wish to humbly recall that when I decided to contest for the office of President of Nigeria, I pledged to place Nigeria on the path of unity and national transformation.

“Now, as the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, I will, in the coming weeks and months, provide insights into the roadmap that I am confident will help curb abuse in government, halt the decline in the quality of life of Nigerians at all levels, and usher in an era of unity, peace, sustained progress, and prosperity.

“This vision is anchored on a commitment to unity, inclusion, social justice, equity, and the freedom of every citizen to pursue lawful dreams.

“Central to this proposed roadmap are significant reforms in education and healthcare, which are at the core of human capital development.

“Robust human capital is indispensable infrastructure for national progress. It serves as the fundamental capital upon which daily life, economic expansion, and the delivery of essential public services depend.

“These are foundational areas that we must reform with energy and determination if we are to reap the demographic dividend of our youthful population.

“From the outset of my presidency, we will establish a task force dedicated to drastically reducing the menace of out-of-school children.

“We will place greater emphasis on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to support our drive for massive industrialisation, anchored on our agricultural endowments and value addition across value chains organised around industrial parks to be located in development zones across the geopolitical regions of the country.

“Funding and improving the equipment of TVET institutions, through partnerships among government, the private sector, and social entrepreneurs such as faith-based educators, will facilitate apprenticeship opportunities in the private sector, similar to the German dual education system.

“The situation in which unemployment remains high while Nigerian entrepreneurs establish businesses elsewhere because skilled labour is scarce must be confronted decisively. Doing so is essential for the common good and for facilitating our transition from a consumption-driven economy to a production-driven one.

“Character and civic education, emphasising the values that foster trust – an essential ingredient for enterprise and leadership – as well as shared national values, will receive significant attention within the tripartite approach to governance that we propose.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says nine political parties have so far collected access codes to upload their candidates’ particulars ahead of the 2027 general elections.

This was made known by INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Malam Haruna, on Tuesday in Abuja.

”As of close of work on Monday, nine politicians have collected the access code for the national elections,” Haruna said.

He listed the political parties as Accord, Action Alliance, AA; African Democratic Congress, ADC; All Progressives Congress, APC; Labour Party, LP; National Democratic Congress, NDC; National Democratic Party, NDP; Peoples Redemption Party, PRP; and Social Democratic Party, SDP.

The INEC senior official said rather than the commission taking the codes to individual party secretariats, the political parties ought to approach the commission for collection.

He also declared that there must be an authorization letter from the leadership of any political party, who wants the codes to be collected on their behalf.

According to him, INEC has issued guidelines for candidate nomination, advising political parties to adhere strictly to the rules.