After previewing the outcome of the recently held by-election across the nation, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, is optimistic that the party will achieve a landslide victory in the 2027 poll.

Yilwatda, who spoke when the APC Press Corps visited him on Monday to offer condolences on the demise of his mother, maintained that the outcome of the bye-election underlines the fact that the APC remains the most acceptable party in Nigeria.

He referred to the inability of leaders of the opposition, such as the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, to halt the APC’s winning streaks in states like Kaduna, Adamawa, Anambra, and Taraba, to buttress his assertions.

He said, “If you look at it, where the opposition leaders are, we all defeated them in all those locations, from Kaduna to Kano to Adamawa to Taraba. So we just made it clear that our party is a leading party.

“We are also not just a ruling party, but we are the leading party and the preferred party in Nigeria. And preferred by Nigerians. Because if you have 75 per cent acceptance by the people across the country… our success is not just in the north but also in the south.

“Both north and south, we had clear victories. In the south-south, we had clear victories. In the south-west, we had clear victories. In the north-west, we had clear victories. In the north-east, we had clear victories. In the north-central, we had clear victories.

“It tells you that in Nigeria, the APC is the most accepted party across the country. And that’s the same thing we’ve made in Nigeria. So, expect that 2027 will be the same thing.

“So forget the rhetoric on TV and television. We are not addressing television. We are addressing the people at the grassroots. Our policies are progressive. So we don’t address the bourgeois. We don’t address the rich.

“We address the poorest of the poor. That’s what our policies aim for. Our target is to reach Nigerians— not just those on TV, but Nigerians who believe in us, trust the party, appreciate the progressive policies of the government, and support the bold steps taken to implement meaningful changes. These policies are creating transformations never seen before in this country.

“That belief is what people are making. People are voting for the party, and believe me, 2027 is a near-sure victory for us as a party.”

The Plateau State-born politician, who expressed appreciation to members of the APC Press Corps for propagating the ideals and manifesto of the party, thanked them for deeming it fit to condole with him in his moment of sorrow.