President Bola Tinubu reportedly held a meeting with former Senate Leader and ex-Oyo State governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin, in what is seen as a strategic effort to strengthen unity within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.

The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, is believed to be part of ongoing consultations by the President to rally key stakeholders behind the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli.

A source close to Folarin said that the discussion was aimed at resolving lingering disagreements within the Oyo APC and ensuring that influential party leaders work together to secure victory in the February 2027 governorship poll.

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 he did not participate in the APC primary that produced Alli as the party’s flag bearer.

Tinubu’s meeting with Folarin comes amid efforts by the APC leadership to consolidate support for Alli, whose emergence followed a keenly contested selection process involving several high-profile aspirants.

Among those who sought the party’s ticket were former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan; Senator Abdulfatai Buhari; Akeem Agbaje; and Oyedele Alao.

Alli was formally presented as the APC governorship candidate alongside his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, during a ceremony in Ibadan on July 2.

His emergence followed an endorsement by APC leaders and stakeholders in Oyo State, who adopted him as the party’s consensus candidate after consultations they said received the backing of President Tinubu.

However, the process generated controversy, with Adelabu, who resigned as Minister of Power to pursue the governorship ticket, maintaining that the APC national leadership had not officially announced the outcome of the primary.

He urged party members to remain calm and disregard what he described as premature claims regarding a consensus arrangement, insisting that only the party’s national leadership could formally declare the winner.

Despite the disagreement, Alli was subsequently announced as the APC’s candidate after reportedly defeating Adelabu and other aspirants, setting the stage for preparations toward the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.

President Bola Tinubu reportedly held a meeting with former Senate Leader and ex-Oyo State governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin, in what is seen as a strategic effort to strengthen unity within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship election.

The meeting, which took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, is believed to be part of ongoing consultations by the President to rally key stakeholders behind the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli.

A source close to Folarin said that the discussion was aimed at resolving lingering disagreements within the Oyo APC and ensuring that influential party leaders work together to secure victory in the February 2027 governorship poll.

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 he did not participate in the APC primary that produced Alli as the party’s flag bearer.

Tinubu’s meeting with Folarin comes amid efforts by the APC leadership to consolidate support for Alli, whose emergence followed a keenly contested selection process involving several high-profile aspirants.

Among those who sought the party’s ticket were former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan; Senator Abdulfatai Buhari; Akeem Agbaje; and Oyedele Alao.

Alli was formally presented as the APC governorship candidate alongside his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, during a ceremony in Ibadan on July 2.

His emergence followed an endorsement by APC leaders and stakeholders in Oyo State, who adopted him as the party’s consensus candidate after consultations they said received the backing of President Tinubu.

However, the process generated controversy, with Adelabu, who resigned as Minister of Power to pursue the governorship ticket, maintaining that the APC national leadership had not officially announced the outcome of the primary.

He urged party members to remain calm and disregard what he described as premature claims regarding a consensus arrangement, insisting that only the party’s national leadership could formally declare the winner.

Despite the disagreement, Alli was subsequently announced as the APC’s candidate after reportedly defeating Adelabu and other aspirants, setting the stage for preparations toward the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State.