Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin has finally declared his support for Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 governorship election in Oyo State, in what could mark a significant step toward resolving the lingering divisions within the party.
Folarin’s declaration of support was made on Monday, October 19, 2026, during a gathering at his residence in Ibadan, where he publicly raised Alli’s hand in a show of solidarity and called on aggrieved members of the party to put their differences aside and work toward the APC’s success in the 2027 election.
The development follows months of disagreement and uncertainty among key Oyo APC stakeholders after Alli emerged as the party’s governorship candidate. His emergence had generated resistance from several aspirants and party members who questioned the process through which the ticket was produced.
Earlier in the year, APC leaders and stakeholders in Oyo State had adopted Alli as their consensus governorship candidate following consultations involving prominent party figures and the Presidency. The development, however, did not immediately settle the internal crisis, as some aspirants subsequently rejected Alli’s emergence and demanded that the process be reconsidered.
The APC eventually unveiled Alli as its governorship candidate in July, alongside his running mate, Adesoji Adedeji, while the party simultaneously intensified efforts to reconcile aggrieved members and present a united front ahead of the 2027 election.
Folarin’s position is particularly significant because he was himself the APC’s governorship candidate in the 2023 election and had been regarded as one of the major political figures whose position could influence the party’s ability to unite behind Alli.
Addressing the gathering, Folarin acknowledged that the grievances within the party were understandable, particularly among aspirants who had invested years and substantial political effort in pursuing their governorship ambitions.
He reportedly said that he had spent 26 years pursuing his own ambition to become governor and therefore understood why an aspirant who felt unfairly treated could be angry. He nevertheless appealed to aggrieved members to embrace reconciliation in the interest of the party.
Folarin also disclosed that he had engaged with other prominent APC figures, including former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, as part of ongoing efforts to resolve the party’s internal differences.
His latest declaration also comes against the backdrop of an intervention by President Bola Tinubu, who had previously engaged Folarin as part of efforts to reconcile the competing camps within the Oyo APC. Alli himself had earlier acknowledged Tinubu’s intervention and said reconciliation efforts were yielding results.
Folarin further urged Alli and the APC leadership to ensure that aggrieved members are accommodated, arguing that experienced party members who contributed to the party’s growth should not be sidelined.
The former governorship candidate also linked his current role to his appointment as coordinator of the Oyo State Presidential Campaign Council, stressing the need for APC members to work collectively to improve the party’s electoral performance in the state.
With Folarin now publicly backing Alli, the development could provide fresh momentum to the APC’s reconciliation efforts. Whether the endorsement will completely resolve the party’s internal disagreements remains to be seen, but it removes one of the most significant obstacles to the party’s attempt to build a united campaign ahead of 2027.
For the Oyo APC, the message from Folarin is clear: the party must now move beyond the battle over how its candidate emerged and concentrate on the much bigger political contest ahead.
The 2027 governorship race is expected to be fiercely contested, and the ability of the APC to reconcile its factions, mobilise its grassroots structure and retain the support of influential party leaders could prove crucial to its chances at the polls.
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