Former Senate Leader and Oyo State Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin, has met with Chief (Engr.) Jubril Dotun Sanusi, the Okanlomo Oodua and Gbonka Olubadan of Ibadanland, alongside other APC leaders and political stakeholders, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The meeting provided an opportunity for discussions on the political landscape in Oyo State, with emphasis on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid, the APC governorship candidacy of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, party unity and the need for stronger cooperation among political stakeholders.
Folarin, who also serves as the Oyo State Ambassador for Renewed Hope, reaffirmed his commitment to Tinubu’s re-election and declared his support for Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the APC governorship candidate in Oyo State for the 2027 election.
The former Senate Leader urged other APC members, leaders and stakeholders across the state to rally behind Alli and work collectively for the success of the party in the forthcoming elections.
Folarin maintained that the APC’s electoral objectives could be achieved through reconciliation, mutual respect, party discipline and sustained engagement among its leaders and members, urging stakeholders to put aside personal differences in the interest of the party.
“I am fully committed to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the success of all APC candidates in Oyo State in the 2027 general elections,” Folarin declared.
He also called on party leaders to strengthen grassroots mobilisation and consolidate the APC’s structures across the 33 local government areas of Oyo State, noting that cooperation among stakeholders would be essential to the party’s preparations.
During the meeting, Folarin commended Chief Dotun Sanusi for his steadfastness, loyalty and continued support for the APC, praising the Ibadan-born businessman for standing by the party and contributing to efforts to strengthen its political structures.
He acknowledged Sanusi’s role in fostering political engagement and bringing leaders and stakeholders together, stressing that continued collaboration among party leaders, grassroots mobilisers and other stakeholders would be important ahead of the 2027 elections.
In his remarks, Chief Jubril Dotun Sanusi apologised to Folarin for not supporting him during the last Oyo State governorship election, expressing regret over his position at the time and pledging to work with him and other APC stakeholders ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Sanusi also declared that Senator Sharafadeen Alli, as the APC governorship candidate for Oyo State in 2027, would receive his maximum support, alongside that of the JDS support groups.
He pledged to mobilise his political structures and supporters to work towards the success of Alli and other APC candidates.
Speaking about his support for Governor Seyi Makinde during the last governorship election, Sanusi said he had received no personal benefits in return for the political support he offered.
According to Sanusi, Makinde did not award him any contract or provide him with even a bottle of water in return for the support, a situation he cited while explaining his decision to commit himself more actively to the APC’s 2027 political project.
Sanusi further stated that he and the JDS support groups would intensify their political activities and work more actively in support of Alli’s governorship ambition in 2027, as well as Tinubu’s re-election bid.
The meeting comes amid ongoing political consultations and realignments in Oyo State as party leaders and stakeholders consolidate their positions ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Sanusi’s hosting of Folarin and other APC leaders underscores the continuing engagement among political stakeholders on party unity, campaign mobilisation and strategies for the forthcoming elections.
