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Senator Teslim Folarin has endorsed Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
Folarin, a former Senate Leader and one of the aggrieved leaders of the party in the state, pledged his support during Alli’s visit to his residence in Ibadan on Monday.
He assured Alli and his team that he has moved on from the grievances that trailed the emergence of the party’s candidates, adding that other previously aggrieved leaders would join hands to deliver President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Alli and all other APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Addressing Alli and a crowd of supporters in Yoruba, Folarin said it would be unrealistic to deny that the party has challenges, but insisted that the time has come to put the past behind and rescue Oyo State.
“I greet you all. I will not make a political statement here now, but I will talk to you deeply. 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.
“In our own approach, we will not stand here and tell you that there is no problem. There is a big problem. And what caused the problem? Some people do not understand. As for me, I have invested 26 years of my life in the ambition to be governor. If you hold me down and say I should not be angry, that will be unrealistic. But if I see others who have not invested much getting angry, I will ask them what they have invested to warrant that. People who are angry must be pacified. And we must appeal to them.”
Folarin commended the reconciliation efforts being led by Senator Femi Lanlehin and Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, but said more work still needs to be done, noting that 80 percent of aggrieved members will only agree to reconciliation when leaders like him agree.
He disclosed how Engr. Idris Adeoye played a crucial role in preventing the total collapse of the party, including sponsoring his trip abroad to stop a meeting that was planned to frustrate the reconciliation process.
“May God preserve Engr. Idris and all that belongs to him. He did a lot to get us to where we are today. Remember, four of us had a meeting at Iyaganku – myself, Bayo, Buhari and Olaniyan. We wanted to hold a similar meeting here to agree not to allow reconciliation to succeed. I was abroad, he was the one who sponsored the trip with the aim that if we are not at home, the meeting would not hold,” he said.
Folarin appealed to party members to remain united and committed, stressing that from today, the journey to Agodi Government House has started.
He revealed that President Bola Tinubu has appointed him as Coordinator for Oyo State, with a mandate not only to deliver the President but all APC candidates.
“The votes we gave Asiwaju Tinubu in 2023, we must improve on them this time. Some people are saying after we finish the presidential election, we will travel. Even if we want to travel, Idris will not allow it. Anybody who knows us knows that if we want to do anything, we will do it. When we were at home and they did not give us anything last time, did we die? I want to assure you, this one will be different,” he said.
The former governorship candidate also decried the poor reward system in the party, saying those who work are often abandoned while those who did nothing are rewarded, and vowed that such injustice would not repeat itself.
“Our candidate, Sharafadeen Alli, is a politician. It was the manner in which his candidacy emerged that made some people aggrieved. But if we put that aside, he is a politician. We too will continue to put pressure on him to ensure that you all get your rewards,” he said.
“You are the traditional politicians here, and we will not allow them to discard you. The computer politicians can do their own thing, while we do ours here. We will then combine our efforts to get to Agodi. By God’s grace, when we get there, you will all get your rewards. 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.”
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