Former Senate Leader and current Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Content, Teslim Kolawole Folarin, has emerged as the 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.

 He polled a total of 954 votes to defeat his closest rival, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who scored 327 votes. After hours of delay and a series of permutations, the rescheduled Governorship Primary of the All Progressive Congress in Oyo State commenced around 8.45 pm on Friday amidst tight security. This occurred after delegates from the 33 local government areas of the state have been accredited and moved into the stadium for the election. The exercise was delayed due to complaints of irregularities in the delegates lists by some of the Aspirants. The keenly contested primary was held at Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, on Friday, and it ended by 10:30 p.m.

 Adebayo Adelabu, the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, did not show up at the venue of the primary, while a legal luminary, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) had announced on Thursday that he would not participate in the primary on the allegation that the delegates' list was doctored.

 The Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Committee in the state, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi, who conducted the poll, gave the Returning Officer, Dr. Abdullahi Abubakar, the microphone to announce the results of the primary.

 Four of the contestant came to the venue. Before the announcement was done officially, Akeem Agbaje who polled 15 votes; Azeez Adeduntan, who scored two votes; and Alao Akeem Oyedele, who scored six votes, left the stadium. Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), scored zero votes The total number of invalid votes was 11.

 Speaking after the announcement, Folarin, described the victory as a victory for APC and democracy, saying the party would win the 2023 governorship election. He also promised that his campaign would be issued-based.

 The chairman of APC in the state, Isaac Omodewu, gave glory to God for the successful completion of the governorship primary. Senator Teslim Folarin polled a total number of 945 votes to emerge as the flag bearer of the party.