Former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, has ended his face-off with the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, pledging to work for his victory in the 2027 election.
NEWSNGR reports that Folarin, who had kicked against the outcome of the party’s governorship primary, publicly endorsed Alli on Monday in Ibadan, raising his hand before a large crowd of party faithful who had gathered to welcome him home.
Recall that Folarin’s camp alleged that the exercise that produced Alli was riddled with irregularities and demanded a fresh primary free of manipulation.
The former lawmaker’s change of stance came after President Bola Tinubu summoned him and urged him to throw his weight behind both the President’s re-election bid and Alli’s governorship ambition.
Tinubu also hosted another aggrieved aspirant, the senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari, at the Aso Rock Villa over the weekend, where he appealed to him to support the party in the coming polls.
Addressing his supporters, Folarin admitted that the anger of those who lost out in the primary was justified, noting that many of them had spent years building their political careers.
“I have invested 26 years of my life in becoming governor. If I feel cheated, am I not expected to be angry? The aggrieved members deserved to be heard and appealed to,” he said.
He urged them, however, to let go of their grievances and rally behind Alli and other party candidates, effective Monday.
The former Senate Leader expressed dissatisfaction with the progress made by the party’s reconciliation committee, headed by Prof Taoheed Adedoja and Senator Femi Lanlehin, saying it had achieved only about 20 per cent of its mandate.
He blamed the slow pace on grievances on all sides, stressing that with the elections drawing near, the leaders had no choice but to bury their differences.
Folarin said that, as part of efforts to resolve the crisis, he held a meeting at Iyaganku, Ibadan, with former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, Senator Buhari, and former Deputy Governor of the state, Rauf Olaniyan.
Folarin noted that the President’s appointment of him as Coordinator of the Oyo State Presidential Campaign Council placed on him the responsibility of working for all APC candidates in the state.
He charged party members to deliver more votes for Tinubu than the party recorded in the state in 2023.
“The party must increase the votes it secured for Tinubu in Oyo during the 2023 presidential election, while also ensuring that APC governorship and legislative candidates emerge victorious in 2027,” he said.
The ex-senator also called for a review of the way the party rewards its members, insisting that those who labour for its success must not be forgotten.
He tasked Alli with working closely with party leaders to accommodate aggrieved members, warning that the peace process must not push seasoned politicians aside.
“We won’t allow Alli to rest until all aggrieved members get their own benefits,” Folarin declared.
He urged party leaders and supporters to spread the word that the party was taking steps to settle the crisis, reminding them that time was running out before the elections.
