Ahead of the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election holding today, two major power blocs within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have put aside their political differences.
Former senate leader and APC governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections, Senator Teslim Folarin, and the minister of power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, publicly reconciled, pledging to work together to ensure victory for the party’s candidate in the by-election.
In a show of unity, Senator Folarin described the reconciliation as, “a turning point for the Oyo APC,” stressing that unity was the only pathway to reclaiming political dominance in the state.
On his part, Adelabu reportedly said their coming together was driven by the need to “honour the memory of the late Jagaban” and to ensure that APC retains the seat.
The meeting, attended by prominent APC stakeholders, including Senator Sharafadeen Alli representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the Senate, members of the Oyo State APC Elders’ Advisory Council, former political office holders, and grassroots mobilisers, was a significant step towards achieving party unity.
Party leaders assured that campaign structures would now be fully harmonised, with coordinated messaging, and a shared campaign platform.
This development, observers have said, is expected to boost the party’s chances of winning the by-election, which is expected to be a keenly contested poll, with both APC and PDP deploying high-profile campaign teams in the constituency.
According to sources, the reconciliation between Folarin and Adelabu was the first time the duo had met face-to-face and embraced each other after the pre-2023 electioneering campaign when Adelabu defected from the APC to the Accord party.
It was further gathered that the wife of former governor, late Abiola Ajimobi, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi and Folarin have also reconciled their political differences.
Folarin’s reconciliation with the former first lady of the state was reportedly brokered in London following a directive from the presidency to all aggrieved factions of the APC in Oyo state ahead of August 16.
The party sources revealed that their reconciliation was at the instance of a direct instruction from the presidency towards ensuring a victory for the party’s candidate in the Saturday’s(today’s) election.
