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A Former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, has said that he is no longer keen as he was last year, to fly the flag of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 governorsip election
He however said that if the odds swing to his favour, he would gladly contest. He added that right now, the party’s quest to return to power was more important than his personal ambition
Folarin, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 governorship election in the state revealed this in Ibadan during the Eid el Kabir celebrations.
He said: “If I emerge the candidate, it is fine. If I don’t emerge, it is also fine. And I believe that is the feeling across the board now. It won’t be easy but we will get there.”
He explained that the disunity in the party was responsible for the party’s loss in the last election and that it is also responsible for the party’s inability to provide an alternative to the ruling All Progressibe Congress (APC).
Folarin said it is important for the PDP to return to power because only the party understands Nigerians.
His words: “We in Oyo PDP are advocating that everybody comes together. It is simple: if we don’t come together, we cannot win. Everybody is complaining about this government but we must have an alternative. Unfortunately PDP is not providing an alternative right now. We are not. The reason is very simple. In the level of development of our democracy, we always need a father figure to whip people into line. We don’t have that now. We used to have Mr President for 16 years and we don’t have that again. That is why all the tendencies are now rearing their heads. But the tendencies have also realized that if they don’t come together they won’t get there. And we are beginning to work together gradually now. In the coming weeks, things will be different.
“We miss Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu but he has played his own part and gone. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Before Adedibu, there was Akinloye. They all played their part and left.
“A new style of leadership will have to evolve. And it is going to be more of collegiate leadership now. I don’t think it will be possible for a single person to say he is the leader for now. We are now talking with one another more. We are listening to ourselves. I think that will drive us. We have to work together. Otherwise we won’t win. It is not just about the last election. In the last election, APC won by 34 per cent. And then, PDP, SDP, Labour shared the remaining votes. What this mean is that all of us will have to work together. We will just be wasting our time if we don’t. We all know that now. I am not saying it is going to be easy. Individual ambition is a factor here. But we have reasoned to a stage that we know we have to come together.
“We have also realized that only one person can be governor, and that all of us don’t have to be in a particular position. One leader just told me this morning that if one does not make governorship ticket, he can make Senate or House of Representatives. That person could not have said things like that in the past.
“Even me, it is not about desperation. It is about the party now. I am more interested in the party winning now. It is not about Teslim. It is about me playing my role to make sure that the party wins. If the party wins, you don’t have to be in a position. It is enough that your party wins. We believe that PDP is the only party that has solution to the problem of this country. It is the only party that understands the psyche of Nigerians. The other party won because some of our brothers went there. But they will soon be back. We have learnt our lessons.
“I want to assure you that at the end of the day, if I emerge the candidate, it is fine. If I don’t emerge, it is also fine. And I believe that is the feeling across the board now. It won’t be easy but we will get there.”
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