House of Representatives Minority Leader, Fred Agbedi, has expressed optimism that if former president Goodluck Jonathan is on the ballot, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will win the 2027 general elections.

Agbedi made this this assertion on Monday when he appeared as a guest in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Morning Show’.

He was speaking on the level of preparation for next year’s general elections, noting that the PDP is still strong regardless of the crisis confronting it.

“With former President Jonathan on the ballot, PDP will win in 2027. While we can agree that he has not mentioned running in 2027, he has also not ruled out the possibility.

“The question of whether it will be the Wike faction or the Turaki faction of the PDP that fields the party’s presidential candidate is yet to be decided. We are confident that the judgement will go our way,” he said

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had rejected Jonathan’s nomination for the 2027 polls submitted by the Taminu Turaki faction of the PDP.

The electoral body stated that nominations can only be processed through its designated online portal in line with electoral regulations.

Gunmen have attacked the convoy of Sekinat Oyebamiji, wife of the Osun State All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Asiwaju Oyebamiji in Ede South Local Government Area of the state.

The attack was said to have occurred on Sunday evening shortly after Mrs Oyebamiji concluded a political engagement in Alajue Ward 2, where she had met with residents and party supporters ahead of the August 15 governorship election in the state.

She was reportedly accompanied by Princess Bukola Adereti, wife of the APC deputy governorship candidate, Alhaji Kayode Adereti, during the visit.

The assailants, numbering about 15,  were said to have carried out the attack at about 7 p.m. while Mrs Oyebamiji was leaving the venue of the programme.

Although Mrs Oyebamiji and Princess Adereti escaped without injury, one of the persons in the convoy reportedly sustained serious injuries.

The victim, identified as the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Sekona Branch, was said to have suffered severe head injuries during the incident and was later taken for medical treatment.

The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Adewole Adebayo, has disclosed that the contest of the 2023 election was between opposition parties and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to Adebayo, who spoke while featuring on Politics Today on Channels TV, the 2023 election was a charade, alleging that the election results were fake.

The SDP presidential candidate emphasised that if the 2027 polls will be about candidate versus candidate, it will be an indication that the system is ready.

He said, “In 2023, I contested against INEC. INEC were the opponents. What happened in 2023 was not good at all. All those numbers are fake. The whole thing was a charade. Anyone who is making analysis based on the 2023 election is legitimising fraud.

“Nobody should use the number and go to the Villa and govern anybody because you can’t govern out of fraud or out of manipulation. So, we cannot normalise the number.

“The difference I will want now, hopefully I pray every day for Prof. Amupitan, his fellow commissioners and their other staff, is that this time around, no candidate should see INEC as an enemy. And I also pray for IGP Disu and the reason of police officers that no candidate should see the police as an enemy.

“There is no candidate who should be unfortunate enough to be running against INEC like we were running against INEC in 2023, and that is what we need to change. To run for election is like writing an examination; your score should reflect your effort.

“My point of view is not that the opposition should come together only but that all Nigerians should come together. Even some people who might be members of APC know that APC itself has been irrelevant and they are facing a system of one-man rule.”