I have been inundated with the link of my rejoinder written on November 20, 2022 in response to an article written by the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Mr Wasiu Olawale Sadare to respond to the claim of attacks on the convoy of the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, Oloye Bayo Adelabu at Tede in Atisbo Local Government, being made viral by persons suspected to be members and supporters of the ruling PDP.
The hideous unearthing and sharing of the rejoinder is not unconnected with my recent return to APC to declare my support for the governorship candidate of the party, Senator Teslim Folarin. It is already a failed attempt to remind me of, and to emphasise to the public, the alleged unscrupulous antecedents of Senator Folarin. The unearthing and sharing of the rejoinder is a failed attempt because it would only provide an opportunity to state the truth about the allegations made against the person of Senator Folarin in my rejoinder. My decision to respond to the unearthing and sharing is not because I owe anybody some explanation; it is because I have an unassailable duty to clear Senator Folarin of any unscrupulous antecedents based on verifiably available facts.
Let me state here that I have no regrets over my rejoinder of November 20, 2022. I wrote the rejoinder based on information available to me then and which turned out to be a misinformation and a misconception about Senator Teslim Folarin’s gentlemanly personality.
Since the death of Eleweomo and Senator Folarin was fingered as the perpetrator, arrested and was made to ride in a Black Maria to Agodi, allegation that the Senator had a hand in Eleweomo’s death didn’t leave the public space. Oppositional politicians kept the allegation in their wardrobes, to be used against Senator Folarin whenever he aspired to become the governor of Oyo State. However, Gov Seyi Makinde’s mouth diarrhoea which pushed him to say that the file indicting Senator Folarin of Eleweomo’s death at Splash/Lagelu FM Debate was on his debate signified the beginning of Senator Folarin’s exoneration of the criminal allegation. Former Governor Adebayo Alao Akala who was the governor when Eleweomo was killed confirmed unequivocally in an interview with Edmund Obilo that Senator Teslim Folarin couldn’t have killed Eleweomo or anybody at the time, that Eleweomo was killed by an aggrieved faction of NURTW. Isn’t this what was referred to as Folarin’s ‘unscrupulous antecedent’?
Also, Senator Folarin was alleged to have withdrawn a transformer he took to Sabo Mokola when he lost 2015 Guber Election in the state. It took the Seriki Hausawa of Sabo to debunk the rumour in a viral video. Is another so-called unscrupulous antecedent not punctured?
I have had cause to enlighten a blind opposition of Senator Folarin who said part of the reason why he hated Senator Folarin was because he didn’t do anything to benefit Oyo state since his senatorial sojourn in the National Assembly. I asked the person to first tell me which Senatorial District Senator Folarin is representing and his answer indicated that he didn’t know how Oyo State was delineated into senatorial districts. I enlightened him that Senator Folarin is representing Oyo Central and the local governments under it. I went on to mention Senator Folarin’s achievements. He was flabbergasted!
One other thing I found out about the alleged attack on Oloye Adelabu’s convoy at Tede made against APC was that Adelabu’s convoy was attacked by some street boys when Oloye Adelabu refused to give them money after his consultation with people in the community. How the so-called APC thugs became the perpetrators of the attack was not understood!
Those sharing my November rejoinder to discredit Senator Folarin are small fries who ought to bemoan the shame that Gov Makinde brought on himself by claiming to have Eleweomo’s murder file on his table. How did the file get to his table? Was it Alao Akala who passed the file to Ajimobi who passed it to Makinde? Is the file part of the handover notes Ajimobi submitted to Makinde? Gov Makinde has brought the exalted office of the governor to disrepute with his barefaced lie about Eleweomo’s murder file.
Morufu Smith
almaroof71@gmail.com
