Drama as Tinubu Meets Former Senate Leader as Election Draws Closer
- President Tinubu held a meeting with former APC governorship candidate Teslim Folarin at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday
- The meeting is part of wider reconciliation efforts within Oyo APC ahead of the February 2027 governorship election in the southwest state
- Folarin's backing is seen as crucial for the APC's campaign to unseat APM Governor Seyi Makinde in Oyo state in the poll
President Bola Tinubu met former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday as part of efforts to bring key All Progressives Congress figures in Oyo State behind the party's 2027 governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli.
A source close to Folarin confirmed the meeting, saying Tinubu was working to resolve tensions within the Oyo APC ahead of the February 2027 election. The source said the president assured Folarin that his loyalists would be factored into power arrangements at both state and federal levels. Folarin is now expected to address his supporters on the development following his meeting with the President.
Source: Twitter
Folarin, who represented the Oyo Central senatorial district, was the APC's governorship candidate in 2023, losing to incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who has defected to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM). His ambitions for a 2027 run were effectively closed when the party hierarchy settled on Alli without Folarin taking part in the primary process.
APC's troubled path to picking Alli
Alli's emergence as the party's candidate was not a smooth process. He was presented alongside his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, at a ceremony in Ibadan on July 2, following an endorsement by Oyo APC leaders and stakeholders who described the arrangement as a consensus backed by the President.
However, former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, who resigned his cabinet position to contest the primary, pushed back against the outcome. Adelabu urged party members to ignore what he called premature claims about a consensus and called on the national leadership to formally declare a primary winner. Alli was reported to have defeated Adelabu and several other aspirants, including former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, Akeem Agbaje and Oyedele Alao.
A faction of five aggrieved aspirants, known as the G5, also publicly opposed Alli's emergence and demanded that the party take formal steps to address their concerns.
Stakes for APC in Oyo
The APC has not held the Oyo governorship since Makinde won in 2019. The party failed again in 2023, and the 2027 contest represents another attempt to end the PDP's hold on the state. Party leaders have urged dissatisfied members to close ranks, warning that internal divisions could damage the APC's chances of defeating Makinde.
According to The Punch, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Folarin's potential support as significant, given his influence within the party structure and his background as the APC's most recent flag bearer in the state.
Legit.ng has previously reported on the APC's primary process in Oyo State and the controversy surrounding Alli's emergence as the party's candidate for the 2027 election.
Source: Twitter
Tinubu dumps Folarin for Adelabu
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu forwarding the name of Bayo Adelabu as a minister that will represent Oyo State has raised curiosity among stakeholders in the state.
Adelabu contested against Teslim Folarin of the APC on the Accord Party's platform during the March 18 governorship election in the state.
But Wale Adeagbo, an Ibadan-born legal luminary, believe that the President may have other options for the embattled former senator.
Source: Legit.ng
