President Bola Tinubu has met with former Senate Leader and ex-Oyo State governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin, in what appears to be a renewed effort to reconcile aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.
The meeting, held on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, is believed to be part of the APC’s strategy to unite key stakeholders behind the party’s governorship candidate, Sharafadeen Alli.
Folarin, who represented Oyo Central Senatorial District in the Senate, was the APC’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election but lost to incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His ambition to contest again in 2027 ended after the party settled for Alli as its flag bearer.
According to a source familiar with the meeting, President Tinubu sought Folarin’s support for the party’s campaign and assured him that his political allies would not be sidelined in future appointments and political arrangements at both the state and federal levels.
The source also disclosed that Folarin is expected to brief his supporters on the outcome of the meeting in the coming days.
Alli emerged as the APC’s governorship candidate after months of consultations among party leaders. His emergence, however, generated controversy, with former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu and several other aspirants questioning the process.
Adelabu had maintained that the party’s national leadership should formally announce the outcome of the primary, while a group of aggrieved aspirants, known as the G5, demanded greater transparency and reconciliation within the party.
Despite the disagreements, the APC has continued efforts to heal internal divisions ahead of the February 2027 governorship election.
The party hopes to reclaim Oyo State, which has been governed by the PDP since 2019, after unsuccessful attempts to unseat Governor Makinde in both the 2019 and 2023 elections.
Party leaders have repeatedly urged members to put aside their differences, warning that internal disputes could weaken the APC’s chances of returning to power in the state.
