The Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Teslim Folarin, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 general elections, to refrain from unfairly attributing his failure in the last governorship poll to the state governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde.
The party stressed the need for responsible discourse and reminds Folarin that the outcome of the election was the result of various factors beyond the control of any single individual.
On Monday, in response to a recent statement credited to Folarin, the party made this disclosure, shedding light on the matter.
It was reported that on Saturday, Folarin made a statement alleging that the APC’s efforts to win the presidency led to his defeat in the election.
Akeem Olatunji, the Publicity Secretary of the state’s PDP, labeled him a consistent loser in a statement released to the press.
Olatunji, in the statement made available on Monday, reiterated that Folarin’s polling booth outcome was a clear and substantial defeat, with a deficit of over 100 votes.
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He further pointed out that Folarin’s political fortunes hinged entirely on the patronage of the late Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, suggesting that he wouldn’t have emerged victorious in any election without such backing, unlike Makinde who achieved the governorship through his own merits.
‘So, who threw him under the bus in his polling booth, ward and local government? Furthermore, Folarin was a nobody as far as Oyo State politics was concerned in 2003 and 2007 when as an opportunist, he became a Senator by chance.’
‘Ordinarily, we would have ignored this reckless outburst by the most ungrateful politician in Oyo State since the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999, being a political opportunist undeserving of the ground of merit and order of political ranking at the time on three different occasions,’ Olatunji added.
‘How can a Folarin hate himself so much that he keeps punishing himself with the psychological pain? Why can’t he just wake up from his delusions and self-denial of the obvious reality that Seyi Makinde is a political godfather to him and does not belong to his political class or league of politicians? What’s so hard in doing these things?’
The PDP urges Folarin to focus on constructive engagement and contribute to the development of the state, rather than engaging in divisive rhetoric that could undermine the progress and unity of Oyo State.