Following the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections of Saturday, February 25, 2023, in Oyo State, the calculations ahead of the March 11, 2023 gubernatorial poll, which initially favoured the re-election of Governor Seyi Makinde, may have changed.
Before the penultimate Saturday elections, political permutations placed Governor Makinde ahead of the other two major contestants, Senator Teslim Folarin of the major opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and Mr Adebayo Adelabu of Accord Party (AP). But since the results were released and the APC won the three senatorial seats with eight out of the 14 House of Representatives seats while PDP won four with two yet to be decided, observers believe that PDP and Makinde may now struggle to retain power, come Saturday.
Similarly, the outcome of the polls also proved sceptics wrong as whether Senator Folarin has what it takes to oust Makinde.Folarin, who is also the Oyo State coordinator for Tinubu-Shettima Campaign Council, against the negative perception, led APC to a comfortable victory for Tinubu across the 33 local councils in which APC polled 444,889 to defeat the PDP, which polled 182,977 and Labour Party (LP), which polled 99,110.
APC also cleared all the three senatorial seats. Senator-elect, Abdulfatai Buhari polled 90,078 votes to win Oyo North zone while Folarin’s successor, Dr. Yunus Akintunde won Oyo Central with 108,776. A former Secretary to Oyo State Government, Barr. Sharafadeen Ali, who polled 111,513 votes was declared senator-elect of Oyo South.
The candidates who won eight out of the 14 House of Representatives for APC include Akin Alabi (Egbeda/Ona), Adefisoye Lafioye (Akinyele/Lagelu), Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala (Ogbomoso North/South/Orire), Muhammedah (Irepo/Olorunsogo/Orelope), Abdulkareem Tajudeen (ATISBO/Saki West/Saki East), Akeem Adeyemi (Afijio/Atiba/Oyo East/Oyo West), Remi Oseni (Ibarapa East/Ido), and Akinremi Musiliu (Ibadan North).
Folarin also successfully delivered his area for APC, where he polled 218 to defeat PDP, which polled 50 votes.
The Oyo Central candidate of the APC, Dr. Yunus Akintunde scored 164 votes to defeat his main challengers, Chief Bisi Ilaka of PDP, who polled 119 votes and Engr. Nurudeen Faozey of Accord, who polled 29 votes.
APC also recorded victory in the House of Representatives election with 150 votes in favour of Akin Alabi. Candidates of PDP and Accord scored 112 votes and 47 votes respectively.
Folarin had emerged as Oyo APC gubernatorial candidate last year against the support of some aggrieved members of Oyo APC, especially those from the progressives wing of the party. They were irked that the senator and his loyalists manipulated the party’s wards, local councils and state congresses and the primaries to plant himself as candidate.
