A pressure group within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Igba Otun, has urged the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, and the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, to step aside from the 2027 gubernatorial race in the state.
The group maintained that the duo’s past political roles and records have continued to polarise the party rather than unite it.
The group insisted that both should henceforth serve as kingmakers and rallying figures, instead of frontline aspirants.
In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Akin Ademola, Igba Otun declared that “Both Teslim Folarin and Bayo Adelabu will continue to polarise the party if either of them is on the ballot.
“Their past experiences have not united us; rather, they have deepened divisions within our ranks.”
According to the group, the APC in Oyo State stands a better chance in 2027 if it embraces new leadership, devoid of internal baggage, to reposition the party and regain public confidence.
The group however urged the leadership of the party to prevail on the duo to allow fresh hands aspire for the governorship contest in 2027 to give the party the opportunity it deserves to dislodge the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).