Former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin has endorsed the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, and pledged to work with him and other party leaders to secure a victory for the party in the 2027 general elections.
Folarin, considered one of the aggrieved leaders after Alli emerged as the party’s governorship candidate, made his position known on Monday when Alli and his supporters visited him in Ibadan.
He assured Alli and his team that he had moved beyond the grievances surrounding the party’s internal politics, while expressing confidence that other aggrieved members would also reconcile with the party and work towards its success.
Addressing the gathering in Yoruba, Folarin acknowledged that there had been serious disagreements within the Oyo APC, but said the party could not afford to allow its internal crisis to destroy its chances in 2027.
He said his 26-year pursuit of the governorship ambition justified his earlier anger over the manner in which political events unfolded.
“Only a bastard will be wronged and will not be angry. In the same way, only a bastard will reject apologies from those who wronged him,” Folarin said.
He, however, stressed that those who were genuinely aggrieved needed to be approached and appeased as part of the reconciliation process.
Folarin commended Senator Femi Lanlehin and Prof. Taoheed Adedoja for their efforts to reconcile aggrieved members of the party, although he rated their progress at only 20 per cent.
According to him, the reconciliation process cannot be completed until key stakeholders who influence other aggrieved members agree to the resolution.
He also recalled efforts by some party leaders to frustrate reconciliation, noting that he had previously participated in meetings aimed at preventing the process from succeeding.
Folarin specifically acknowledged the role played by Engr. Idris in bringing stakeholders together, saying despite being aggrieved himself, he had continued to think about the future of the party.
“We have to think about tomorrow. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow,” he said, urging party members to put their differences aside and focus on the 2027 elections.
Folarin said President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of him as the Oyo State coordinator was not limited to delivering the president but extended to ensuring victory for all APC candidates in the state.
He consequently called on party members to begin mobilising for the elections, saying the political battle had effectively started.
According to him, members did not necessarily have to be friends to work together, provided they remained committed members of the same political party.
“The way it will work in one person’s system will differ to the other person. It is not compulsory to be friends! Just be a member of the party with us,” he said.
Folarin added that his familiarity with aggrieved party members across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State would help in the reconciliation effort.
He also promised to push for a fairer reward system within the APC, criticising what he described as a situation where members who contributed little to the party were often rewarded ahead of those who worked for its success.
“The reward system in this party, not just in Oyo State, is very bad. When we finish working, the people who did nothing are the ones who get rewarded. That will not happen again. We will not accept it,” he said.
Addressing the controversy surrounding Alli’s emergence as the APC governorship candidate, Folarin said the senator was a politician whose candidacy had become contentious because of the circumstances surrounding its emergence.
He nevertheless pledged to work with Alli and put pressure on him to ensure that loyal party members were adequately rewarded.
“Our candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, is a politician. It was the manner in which his candidacy emerged that made some people to be aggrieved. But if we put that aside, he is a politician,” Folarin said.
He urged the party’s traditional political structures to remain united, saying established politicians should not be sidelined in favour of what he described as “computer politicians”.
Folarin also recalled the support given to President Tinubu by Oyo APC members during the 2023 presidential election, saying the party must improve on its previous performance in 2027.
He assured the gathering that the next election would be different, adding that he had personally discussed the concerns of party members with President Tinubu.
Folarin said Senator Buhari had also met with the president and conveyed the concerns of stakeholders.
He urged party members to embrace the reconciliation process, stressing that the responsibility of delivering APC victories in 2027 had now become a collective task.
“I appeal to you because you know I do not like to fail when I take on a responsibility. The task entrusted to me has also been entrusted to all of us,” he said.
