Nigeria Content Online

There are strong
indications that Teslim Folarin, Senate majority leader, may join the
campaign train of Oyo State governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, to route for
his second term ambition in the state.

Events at the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally at the Ibarapa zone of the state
on Monday, give credence to the suspicion as some of the close allies
of the Senate leader, who had shown stiff opposition to the governor,
showed up to identify with him and other candidates.

Ademola Akeem Ige,
former chairman of the Ibadan South East local government and close
associate of Mr. Folarin, was at the rally, held at Eruwa, Ibarapa East
local government of the state, where he pledged his total support for
the governor and his ambition, as well as informed the gathering that
the soft-spoken Senate leader would soon join the train.

Mr. Folarin, who
was recently docked and detained for alleged involvement in the murder
of Lateef Salako (aka Eleweomo), factional leader of the National Union
of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oyo State, was believed to have
suffered the humiliation because of his opposition to the second term
ambition of the governor.

Mr. Ige told the
bewildered gathering that Mr. Folarin would join the campaign team in
the next two weeks to champion the governor’s ambition in Ibadan and
ensure his eventual victory at the poll.

According to him, since Mr. Folarin remains a leader of the PDP in the country, he would not work against its interest.

The governor had
recently given hint on Mr. Folarin’s return to the fold when he
announced at the state executive council (Exco) chambers, where he
signed the 2011 appropriation bill into law, that he had already
secured the approval of some eminent members of the opposition against
his second term bid, to work for the party in the April polls.

One toe in the water

NEXT, however,
gathered that the leader of the upper chambers of the nation’s National
Assembly may have made up his mind to join as speculated, but still
waiting for the right time and intervention from the national office of
PDP before coming to the open.

While speaking
further at the campaign rally, Mr. Ige urged the people of the state to
vote en-masse for Mr. Alao-Akala and all other PDP candidates for “the
good work of the party to continue in the state.”

He stated that the
governor had done far better than any of his predecessors in office and
deserves to be given the chance to do more.

Taofeek Arapaja, deputy governor of the state, appealed to other
aggrieved members of the party to come back and work for its success in
the next elections, saying the governor’s performance is enough to
campaign for him.