“Being a party man is a very strategically esoteric statement.”
That statement appears to have captured the attention of many followers after former Senate Leader and prominent All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin, disclosed his latest political engagement with former Minister of Power and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chief Adebayo Adelabu, OFR.
Writing on his Facebook page, Folarin said he paid a courtesy visit to Adelabu, describing him as his brother. According to him, their discussions focused on the need to reposition and strengthen the APC in Oyo State, particularly through party unity, reconciliation, grassroots mobilisation and a collective commitment to the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the success of APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
Folarin said both men reaffirmed their determination to work with other party leaders and stakeholders to revitalise the party’s structures, deepen reconciliation and strengthen grassroots engagement across all 33 local government areas of Oyo State.
“We are party men,” Folarin declared, stressing that their commitment to President Tinubu, the unity of the APC and the collective success of the party remains unwavering.
The significance of the meeting is difficult to ignore.
Folarin and Adelabu are not strangers to political competition. In the 2022 APC governorship primary in Oyo State, Folarin emerged as the party’s candidate after securing 954 delegate votes, while Adelabu polled 327. Folarin subsequently contested the 2023 governorship election for the APC but lost to Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), whom he later congratulated following the official declaration of the result.
Fast-forward to 2026, and the political calculations have changed.
The APC is preparing for another major electoral battle in Oyo State, while internal reconciliation has become a central issue. Earlier in August, reports indicated that Folarin, Adelabu and other prominent stakeholders were absent when the party’s reconciliation committee presented its findings to APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, in Ibadan. The exercise was specifically aimed at reconciling aggrieved members and strengthening the party ahead of 2027.
That makes the latest meeting between Folarin and Adelabu particularly noteworthy.
It suggests that behind the public political theatre, consultations may be continuing among the party’s major power blocs. And as the 2027 election approaches, unity among influential leaders could become critical to the APC’s ability to mobilise effectively across Oyo State.
The reactions from supporters and commentators were predictably mixed.
One commenter jokingly urged Folarin to “face the presidency” and leave the governorship for others, while another described the expression “party men” as a “very strategically esoteric statement.”
Others interpreted the meeting as evidence that previous disagreements were gradually giving way to reconciliation.
One commenter wrote that both men should “allow some things to let go” in the interest of peace and the progress of the party, while another praised Folarin as a “unifier” and political strategist capable of helping build a stronger APC.
Another supporter described the development as “the formidable force we are expecting,” arguing that politics should not become a do-or-die affair and expressing hope that the reconciliation would help move the party from “bottom to top.”
There were also the inevitable political jabs, with some commenters suggesting that the renewed engagement was causing discomfort among political opponents.
For the APC, however, the real test will not be the photographs, Facebook posts or carefully worded statements. It will be whether the emerging consultations translate into genuine reconciliation, functional party structures and effective grassroots mobilisation.
With the 2027 general elections drawing closer, Oyo APC’s ability to put internal differences aside may ultimately determine whether these “party men” can transform their renewed conversations into electoral strength.
For now, one thing is clear: Folarin and Adelabu are talking again—and in Oyo politics, that is hardly a conversation without consequences.
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