President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, July 28, unveiled his ministerial nominees by transmitting the list to the Senate, and it was read during the plenary. In a surprising move, the president nominated Bayo Adelabu, the candidate of the Accord Party in the March 18 governorship election in Oyo State, to take over the Southwest State’s slot in the ministerial list.
This decision has sparked controversy among many, as they expected the president to have chosen Teslim Folarin, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, for the state’s slot. Folarin had unsuccessfully contested against the incumbent Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the poll.
However, President Tinubu defended his choice, stating that Folarin still has the chance of being considered for an ambassadorial position or head of any government agency or parastatal. He assured that he may have a better plan for Folarin in the future.
Despite the president’s explanation, some stakeholders under the APC Oodua Reformation Group have expressed strong opposition to the nomination of Adelabu as the ministerial nominee for Oyo State. In a statement on Monday, July 24, the group described the president’s choice as an insult to local members of the APC in the state, who worked tirelessly for the success of Tinubu in the state during the election.
It should be noted that Adelabu had defected from the APC to the Accord Party in the build-up to the 2023 governorship election in the state and contested against Teslim Folarin, the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
The nomination of Bayo Adelabu has ignited a heated debate within the APC in Oyo State, with some expressing disappointment and others hoping for a better plan for Folarin’s political future. As the ministerial list goes through the confirmation process in the Senate, the controversy surrounding the nomination is likely to continue making headlines in the political landscape.
