Barely two days to the conduct of Saturday governorship poll in Oyo State, support base of the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in the state, Senator Teslim Folarin, shored up on Wednesday as defectors rejoin the party from Oyo, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa zones of the State.
First to bid Accord goodbye was the standard bearer of Accord in Afijio/Atiba/Oyo East/Oyo West Federal Constituency, Barrister Wakeel Oyeleru Oyedemi, who rejoined the APC in the early hours of the day.
The news of Oyedemi’s defection had hardly gone down when stories of two other Accord House of Representatives candidates in the last election from Oke-Ogun and Ibarapaland, also hit the airwaves.
They are Hon. Bashiru Lawal, Accord House of Representatives candidate for Atisbo, Saki East and Saki West Federal Constituency and Hon. David Okanlawon who contested for the same seat in Ibarapa Central and Ibarapa North in Oke Ogun and Ibarapaland respectively.
Lawal, was a close aide to former Governor Rashidi Ladoja, fueling speculation that the erstwhile Governor of the State, who spearheaded the similar coalition that birthed the Peoples Democratic Party government in 2019 and won by Engr Seyi Makinde, is truly working for the success of Folarin at the poll.
Ladoja, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland and the most influential political leader in the State was reported to have been calling politicians across political divides to support Folarin, the APC candidate ahead of this weekend election.
This development came amidst the movement of major blocs across political parties in the state to Folarin’s camp as part of the realignment ahead of the crucial polls.
While Lawal who came first in the Saki West results announced by the INEC recently, having narrowly lost to the APC candidate, Hon. Tajudeen Abisodun in the constituency because of the votes garnered by the latter from Atisbo local government.
Lawal was received into the APC earlier on Wednesday by Folarin’s running mate, Dr. David Okunlola.
Both Oyedemi and Okanlawon told reporters on phone that “we are back in our former party, APC to ensure electoral victory of Senator Folarin on Saturday.”
Credible sources informed our correspondent that the return of Oyedemi into the progressive fold was brokered by an influential citizen of the State based in Abuja, Alhaji Abdulwasiu Adebisi, who underscored the need for him and other notable politicians to unite under the platform of APC for Folarin’s victory during Saturday governorship election.
The coming of Oyedemi, Lawal and Okanlawon, according to Adebisi into the APC “will, in no small way, boost the chance of Teslim Folarin, governorship candidate of the party.”
