President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday met with former Senate Leader and ex-Oyo State governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin, in what appeared to be a renewed effort to unite the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.
The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, is believed to be part of ongoing reconciliation moves aimed at rallying key party stakeholders behind the APC’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli.
A source close to Folarin told The PUNCH that the meeting formed part of broader efforts by the President and the party leadership to resolve lingering disagreements within the Oyo APC following the party’s governorship primaries.
Folarin, who represented Oyo Central Senatorial District in the Senate, was the APC governorship candidate in the 2023 election but lost to Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
His ambition to contest the 2027 governorship election ended after the APC adopted Alli as its candidate, prompting him not to participate in the primary process.
According to the source, Tinubu’s meeting with Folarin was aimed at securing his support and that of his political structure ahead of the governorship election.
The source further disclosed that the President assured Folarin that his supporters would not be sidelined in future political appointments and party arrangements at both the state and federal levels.
According to the source, Folarin is expected to meet with his supporters in the coming days to brief them on the outcome of his discussions with the President.
The source described Folarin as a critical stakeholder whose support would be vital to the APC’s chances of reclaiming Oyo State in 2027.
Alli emerged as the APC governorship candidate after a keenly contested selection process that drew interest from several leading aspirants, including former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
He was formally presented alongside his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, in Ibadan on July 2 after party leaders endorsed him as the consensus candidate following consultations.
However, the process generated controversy, with Adelabu insisting at the time that the APC national leadership had not officially announced the outcome of the primary.
Other aspirants, including former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, Akeem Agbaje and Oyedele Alao, also contested the party’s ticket.
A group of aggrieved aspirants, known as the G5, equally protested Alli’s emergence and called on the party leadership to address their grievances.
