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Group asks Folarin to explain role in failed Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin road project, Says traps set for Oyo people ’ll fail,

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An Oyo State-based socio-political group, Oyo Kajola Group (OKG), has flayed the Senator representing Oyo Central Senatorial District, Senator Teslim Folarin for claiming in an address to his party loyalists that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has set two traps for the government of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, which according to him it cannot escape.

The OKG, in a statement by its Media Coordinator, Mr. Adebayo Ayandele, on Thursday, said that the statement credited to the Senator has exposed the evil intention of the APC, its members and that of the Senator in question.

“By that statement, we are left in no doubt that the APC has the sinister motive of seizing power at all cost through the Court, an intention which has no basis and will fail woefully,” the OKG said.

The group maintained that whatever trap has been set to derail good governance, which the Makinde administration has been delivering in the state, would hit the rocks because the Governor was massively elected by Oyo State people and has continued to endear himself to them through policies and programmes that are already yielding fruits.

The statement noted that Folarin’s assertion, contained in a video clip, was a timely revelation that forces of darkness in the APC were hellbent on destabilizing the government of Makinde.

It warned that any plan to entrap the people Oyo State with fraudulent Court judgment and foist on the people an already rejected candidate would contend with stiff opposition and the wrath of the people.

The group warned the APC leaders, especially Folarin, to perish the thoughts of stealing the popular mandate given to Makinde, because according to the OKG, it will remain a pipedream that can never materialize.

“Before such APC leaders go about deceiving innocent persons, they, including Folarin would need to explain their roles in the failed Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin road contract on which N2billion of Oyo State tax payers’ money was wasted without a tangible result,” the group said.

According to the Oyo Kajola Group, Folarin’s statement was unguarded and irresponsible, adding that the Senator’s insistence that “they could not allow another party except the APC to govern Oyo State,” came a few weeks after the trio of former Governors Adebayo Alao-Akala, Abiola Ajimobi and Folarin had a meeting in Abuja.

“We in the Oyo Kajola Group and by extension the people of Oyo state were not surprised by Senator Folarin’s statement. Indeed, no resident of Oyo State expects decorum or finesse from Folarin, because of his known political history. What no one expected was that he would, like a palm wine drinker, openly seek to truncate the wishes generally expressed by the people of Oyo State durin the March 9, election.

“We believe that Folarin’s unguarded moment was God’s way of exposing APC’s plan to derail the government of Oyo State and deny the people of the good governance they are already enjoying under Governor Makinde.”

The group queried the real reason behind Folarin’s outburst, wondering if he was reacting to Makinde’s actions in exposing the rot left behind by his cousin, Senator Ajimobi or protecting his own interest, saying: “But before Folarin and his evil traps setters in the APC continue in their doomed voyage, which will ultimately consume them and be the beginning of the end for them politically, we would like the Senator to explain what he knows about the Moniya-Ijaiye-Iseyin road contract awarded to Oladiran Trades and paid N2 billion mobilization funds.

“It would interest the public to know that Governor Seyi Makinde had, after revoking the contract from the incompetent contractor supported by the APC leaders, seized the contractor’s Advance Payment Guarantee (APG) and recovered N1billion to the coffers of the state.

“We are certain that the anger of the clique of trap-setters is mainly against the insistence of Governor Makinde that their failed company must refund the people’s money illegally appropriated.

“To come clean, the trap-setting senator should tell Oyo State people what transpired on the project.

“From information available to us, we know that Governor Makinde, after revoking the failed Moniya/Ijaiye/Iseyin road contract, gave a directive that Oyo State’s money should be retrieved from the contractor. We also know that experts from the Oyo State Ministry of Works evaluated the works done by the failed contractor and valued the work at N850 million, leaving about N1.150 billion hanging in the pockets of the contractor.

“We are not at a loss as to the fact that the Governor’s insistence that the last kobo of Oyo State’s money spent on the contract must be retrieved has greatly unsettled some politicians who benefitted from the N2 billion largesse. Could Senator Folarin be one of those beneficiaries? Is he upset that Makinde uncovered traps to siphon Oyo State’s money and blocked them? The senator really has to explain the reason for his venom-laden statements contained in the video.

The group said: “Of a truth, prior to Folarin’s video, we had gathered that a number of disgruntled politicians of the APC have been holding nocturnal meetings to unfold sinister motives and plots against the people of Oyo State and democratic governance.

“Therefore, we want to categorically state that any plan to entrap the people Oyo State with fraudulent Court judgment and foist on them a rejected candidate, would be met with stiff opposition and the full wrath of the people.

“We are using this opportunity to serve a timely notice to President Muhammadu Buhari, well-meaning Nigerians and the international community that some APC leaders in Oyo State, with backing from some desperate politicians in the South-West, have perfected plans to use their corrupt contacts in the nation’s Judiciary to rape democracy and frustrate the wishes of the majority of Oyo State people as expressed on March 9, 2019 when they elected Governor Seyi Makinde with over 515,000 votes.

“These individuals, who are already shopping for Supreme Court justices that will allegedly do their evil bidding, are leveraging on the APC’s control of the Federal Government and all the security apparatus in their bid to subvert the will of Oyo State people. But the people are more than prepared for them and would match them in action and reaction if they won’t desist from the evil plot.”

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Former PDP Governorship Candidate Jandor Returns to APC

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FILE: Jandor Adediran. Twitter@PDPVanguard

A former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has officially rejoined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Jandor announced his return to the ruling party at a press conference in Lagos on Monday, approximately two weeks after resigning from the PDP.

In his address, he explained his decision, stating that APC prioritises electoral victory regardless of the candidate.

“We have decided to return to the All Progressives Congress, APC,” he declared.

Anticipating criticism over his political move, he referenced a Yoruba proverb, saying:

“Before you are quick to remind me of the reasons why I dumped APC, I want to say that there is a Yoruba adage that says, if a woman has not tried two husbands, she would not know which one is better.”

Jandor had previously left the PDP on 3rd March 2025, citing what he described as anti-party activities by some leaders in Lagos State.

“We were waiting to see if the party at the national level, governed by its constitution, would address these anti-party activities. Instead of sanctions, the same individual was appointed Vice Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee,” he said at the time.

Following his resignation from the PDP, Jandor met with several political figures, including President Bola Tinubu and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, as well as other key stakeholders in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Jandor’s political journey began with the APC, where he led the Lagos4Lagos Movement before defecting in 2022. He joined the PDP ahead of the 2023 governorship election and became the party’s flagbearer in Lagos, but lost to APC’s Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

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El-Rufai Urges Atiku, Obi, Others to Join SDP, Rules Out Merger

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Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed the possibility of a political merger ahead of the 2027 general election, instead urging former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, and other opposition figures to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

El-Rufai’s call came in the wake of his resignation from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on 10 March, citing a misalignment of values with the party.

In a recent interview with BBC Hausa, the former governor appealed to opposition leaders to unite under the SDP banner to challenge President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the next election.

“My wishes and prayers are that Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, Rauf Aregbesola, and all opposition leaders join SDP—not to form a merger or register a new party, but to work together towards 2027,” he said.

El-Rufai also expressed his disappointment in the current administration, stating that despite initial confidence in Tinubu’s leadership, he had failed to meet expectations.

“What pains me is that the government we supported and believed in would perform well because we saw what Tinubu achieved in Lagos despite his challenges,” he remarked. “We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos at the national level, we should support him. However, he has failed.”

Meanwhile, the Presidency has dismissed speculation surrounding the 2027 elections, maintaining that President Tinubu is focused on economic reforms and national development.

In a statement on Friday via X (formerly Twitter), Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications, Bayo Onanuga, stated:

“President Tinubu is not worried about the next election. He is concerned about the shared prosperity he can bring to Nigerians. He is focused on ensuring that, by the end of his first term, he can look back and say, ‘I have impacted the lives of Nigerians and turned this economy around.’”

Onanuga also highlighted the administration’s achievements, including improved foreign reserves, reduced inflation, a growing trade surplus, and increased foreign investments.

Addressing speculation about his own presidential ambition in 2027, El-Rufai said his candidacy would depend on the party and the will of the people.

“It is not for me to decide; it is the party and the people that will decide. Even when I was contesting for governor, it was the people who met and convinced (Muhammadu) Buhari, and he called me to run,” he said.

As political alignments continue to take shape ahead of 2027, El-Rufai’s defection and his call for opposition unity signal growing tensions within Nigeria’s political landscape.

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I Am an APC Member, I Like to Be Addressed as One – Buhari

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Former President Muhammadu Buhari has reaffirmed his commitment to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that he remains a loyal member and will continue to promote the party across the country.

Buhari made this known in a statement released on Thursday by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, amid speculations of defections from the APC.

“I am an APC member, and I like to be addressed as such. I will try to popularise the party by all means,” the former president declared.

Without referring to any individual or ongoing political debates, Buhari reiterated his long-standing position on party loyalty, emphasizing that he would never turn his back on the APC—the platform that brought him to power for two consecutive terms from 2015 to 2023.

He expressed gratitude to the party and its supporters for the trust they placed in him, acknowledging their role in his political journey. “I have nothing but gratitude for the support that the party gave me before and during my tenure as president. That, to me, is the highest honor, and I would never ask for anything more,” he added.

Buhari further stressed the importance of preserving the party’s founding ideals, which he described as a crucial effort to safeguard democracy and uphold constitutional values. According to him, the sacrifices made by the APC’s founding fathers in building a formidable party should be appreciated and sustained.

 

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