Teslim Folarin, the Gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State during the March 28 election, recently disclosed the reason behind his defeat to the incumbent Governor, Seyi Makinde.
Speaking at a reception and victory celebration for a member of the House of Representatives, Remi Oseni, in Idigbaro, Ologuneru, Ido Local Government Area of the state, Folarin attributed his loss to a “political arrangement” aimed at securing victory for President Bola Tinubu in the presidential poll.
He said: “If we are talking about the strongest party in the state today, it is APC. We won three senatorial seats and nine out of Federal constituency seats. Our people are already in the election tribunal and I can tell you that we would win two more Federal constituency seats. In the governorship election, we were thrown under the bus.
“In politics, if I am asked to choose between governorship and presidency, I will choose the latter. We have taken the presidency and our president, Tinubu, is doing well. Things are hard now, but I want Nigerians to bear and exercise patience because better days are coming soon.
“Let us stand with this government because it is our government. This is because if there’s a problem in the future regarding governance, they will say we need to call the Yoruba to fix it. Two things are constants in my life, which are Islam and politics. My own level has passed the fact that I have to become the governor before thanking God.
He added that “Nigerians should be patient with Tinubu because he has the capacity to address the nation’s challenges and turn Nigeria’s situation around for good. I’m pleading with you to give him maximum support for him to succeed.”
