By Adeola Badru

Former Senate Leader and Oyo State Coordinator of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Teslim Kolawole Folarin, has urged aggrieved party members and stakeholders to embrace reconciliation and unite behind President Bola Tinubu and all APC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Folarin made the appeal during a meeting with members of the Oyo State APC Executive Committee at the party’s state secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, where he stressed the need for unity, discipline and collective commitment to strengthen the party’s electoral prospects.

He urged party leaders and members to rise above personal grievances, internal disagreements and competing interests, warning that individual ambitions should not undermine the party’s collective goals.

According to him, genuine reconciliation, inclusiveness and sustained engagement among stakeholders are essential to building a united party capable of contesting elections across Oyo State.

“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 said.

The former Senate Leader, who also serves as Oyo State Ambassador for Renewed Hope, urged members to demonstrate loyalty, respect constituted leadership and maintain mutual understanding.

He said the party needed unity of purpose and coordinated political activities to achieve its electoral objectives, adding that the 2027 elections offered an opportunity to rebuild confidence and strengthen its structures across the state’s 33 local government areas.

In a related development, Folarin joined the APC state leadership to receive former councillors who served between 2021 and 2024 under the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) into the party.

The reception formed part of efforts to expand the APC’s membership and strengthen its grassroots structures ahead of the 2027 elections.

Welcoming the new members, Folarin urged them to work harmoniously with existing party faithful, assuring them that they would have opportunities to contribute to the party’s activities.

He also called on members to sustain the spirit of reconciliation, saying electoral success would require the participation of party leaders, stakeholders, grassroots mobilisers and ordinary members across the state.

The Oyo State APC Chairman, Chief Moses Alake, commended Folarin for embracing reconciliation and supporting efforts to promote peace within the party.

“We appreciate Senator Teslim Folarin for sheathing his sword and embracing peace. Your decision is important to strengthening unity within our party as we prepare for the forthcoming elections,” Alake said.

He described Folarin’s decision as a contribution to improving internal cohesion as the party prepares for the forthcoming electoral contests.

After meeting the State Executive Committee, Folarin held a separate engagement with Local Government Ambassadors for Renewed Hope, urging them to intensify grassroots mobilisation and door-to-door campaigns in their respective areas.

He called for sustained voter engagement, effective communication of the Tinubu administration’s policies and achievements, and closer interaction with residents at ward and polling-unit levels.

Folarin also urged the ambassadors to strengthen their mobilisation structures and work with party executives and other stakeholders to broaden support for the APC ahead of the elections.

As part of efforts to improve the coordination of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Oyo State, Folarin announced appointments to key positions.

The appointees are Alhaji Fatai Ibikunle, State Deputy Coordinator; Hon. Yinka Taiwo, Assistant State Coordinator; Engr. Idris Adeoye, Director of Budget, Finance and Resource Management; Hon. Afeez Bolaji Repete, Secretary; and Hon. Gbenga Olayemi, Director of Inter-Party Affairs.

He charged the appointees to perform their duties with dedication and commitment to the party’s electoral objectives.

Folarin reiterated that the APC’s priorities in Oyo State included consolidating internal unity, strengthening grassroots structures, expanding membership and mobilising support for Tinubu’s re-election and other party candidates in 2027.

He pledged to work with the State Executive Committee, party leaders, stakeholders and members at all levels to build a united and election-ready APC in the state.