IBADAN, Oyo State — Top leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, including former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, former Senate Leader Teslim Folarin, and Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, held a closed-door meeting on Thursday to discuss strategies for strengthening the party’s structure and delivering the state for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 elections.
The meeting, which was convened by Folarin and held at an undisclosed location in Ibadan, also had in attendance former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan, and other notable party leaders from the 33 local government areas of the state. Sources privy to the discussions revealed that the leaders deliberated on ways to bring all APC tendencies together and mobilise grassroots support for President Tinubu’s re-election bid.
According to an APC stalwart who spoke with journalists, “The leaders discussed strategies for working with other stakeholders of APC to strengthen the party’s structure and deliver Oyo for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election.” The meeting comes amid ongoing efforts by the party to reposition itself in Oyo State, where the APC has been in opposition since 2019.
Political observers note that the closed-door meeting signals a renewed drive by key stakeholders to foster unity within the party following recent leadership contests. Folarin, who convened the meeting, has reportedly not been attending APC meetings since the emergence of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s governorship candidate.
The development follows recent protests by some APC members, including supporters of Adelabu, who staged demonstrations in Ibadan calling on the party’s National Working Committee to release the results of its primary elections. The protesters, who carried placards with various inscriptions, expressed concerns about candidate imposition and demanded transparency in the electoral process.
The party leadership has also set up a Reconciliation Committee, chaired by Senator Femi Lanlehin and Prof. Taoreed Adedoja, to address grievances arising from the party’s congresses and primaries. The committee was tasked with resolving all complaints to ensure that the APC approaches the forthcoming elections as a “strong, united and virile family of progressives.”
The meeting of the four APC chieftains comes amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections and efforts by the party to strengthen its presence in Oyo State, a key battleground in national elections.
