We are a group of professionals who have taken it upon ourselves to x-ray happenings within our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly as it relates to our Rescue Mission in the Pacesetter State in 2023.Now that the stakeholders have started positioning themselves ahead of the all-important election, we are obliged to sound early Notes of Warning on the different gladiators seeking to fly our party’s flag in 2023.One of such aspirants, whom we have seen as a wolf in a sheep’s skin is Senator Teslim Folarin.How this three-time Senator of the Federal Republic, who flew the flag of the conservative Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015 has suddenly become a possible flagbearer of the progressive camp remains a big surprise to many followers of our party. And that is why his name is the quickest to prop up on the barometer for x-ray. Only the fainthearted would submit that the battle to unseat the Governor Seyi Makinde in Oyo State would come like a childsplay. Here is a man who has openly told members of the House of Assembly that though they have the constitutional power to remove the governor, the governor equally controls the park managers. With such a man, whom former Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State described as “quiet but deadly” the APC must guard its loins tightly to pose a serious challenge.But it was agreed that following the peace initiatives of our leaders, the APC in Oyo can only put its best foot forward in the 2023 battle. That cannot be done with a man whose roots remains in the PDP.If there are any iota of doubts about where this Senator stands, the recent analysis by the authoritative Nigerian Tribune is instructive. The Tribune said the choice of Folarin would not only return power to the camp of the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, since his henchmen remains Bosede Adedibu, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja and Auxilliary. These are the same people working closely with Makinde.“If we present Folarin as candidate, what option are we giving progressives? It means we want to kill the legacies of our leaders like Bola Ige, Lam Adesina and Abiola Ajimobi,” the newspaper analysed.The Tribune further noted: “Folarin is aligned with former Governor Adebayo Alao Akala and the talk in the APC is that they have shared all available offices among themselves. Akala’s son, Olamiju is slated to be the Deputy Governor. Lowo Obisesan, Ajimobi’s Commissioner for Environment famous for demolition of people’s houses, is slated to become the Secretary to the State Government while Mogaji Akogun, another of Akala’s boys, is listed to be the Chief of Staff. They have chosen their three senators and 14 representatives.” The note of warning from the Oyo Governance Barometer is to note that picking Folarin as gubernatorial hopeful is returning power to the PDP as his mind, soul and body remains with the PDP.This early warning signal is a word for the wise for the attention of well-meaning leaders of our party.
Signed
Adedotun GbojuadeConvener, Oyo Governance Barometer.
