On the eve of the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election, two feuding groups of the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have finally buried their hatchets in a rare show of unity.
Immediate past Senate Leader and 2023 APC governorship aspirant, Senator Teslim Folarin, and the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, openly made peace and vowed to collaborate with each other in order to achieve victory for the party’s candidate in today’s election.
Describing the reconciliation as “a turning point for the Oyo APC,” Folarin emphasized that party unity was the only path to reclaiming political dominance in the state. Adelabu, on his part, said their peace was motivated by the need to “honour the memory of the late Jagaban” and witness APC retain the seat.
The meeting of peace, which had in attendance key stakeholders including Senator Sharafadeen Alli (Oyo South), members of the Oyo APC Elders’ Advisory Council, former political office holders, and grassroots mobilisers, agreed to harmonise campaign structures and messaging on a single platform.
Party insiders disclosed that the reconciliation, which was allegedly facilitated at the instance of the presidency, was the first physical hug between Folarin and Adelabu since they broke up before the 2023 elections when Adelabu moved to the Accord Party.
In a similar development, Senator Folarin also reconciled with Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, wife of late Governor Abiola Ajimobi. The two were reported to have been reconciled in London after presidential intervention to unite all the aggrieved APC groups in Oyo before the by-election.
Analysts say that this new-found unity would greatly boost APC’s chances in what is expected to be a keenly contested fight with the PDP, both sides boasting heavyweight campaign machinery.
