Folarin Kolawole Teslim

Teslim Kolawole Folarin (born 30 October 1963) is a Nigerian politician, he was the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State for the 2023 gubernatorial election which he lost to the incumbent governor Seyi Makinde. He previously served as the senator representing Oyo Central senatorial district from 2003 to 2011; and from 2019 to 2023.

Teslim Kolawole Folarin was born on 30 October 1963, to Alhaji and Alhaja Hamzat Folarin. He stemmed from Baale House in Oja Igbo area of Ibadan North-East Local Government area of Oyo State. Folarin is the Head (Mogaji) of his family House and a ranked traditional Chief in Ibadanland. He is the Laguna Olubadan of Ibadanland.

Folarin attended primary school in Lagos; his secondary education was completed at Nigeria's premier secondary school, Methodist Boys' High School, Lagos. Folarin holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in political science from the University of Ibadan and a diploma degree from Harvard University, USA.

He spent some years gathering valuable civil service experience in the UK, including management roles at the Department of Trade in London before returning to Nigeria in 2002. Folarin performed his obligatory NYSC tenure in Kaduna and joined politics thereafter.

Folarin contested and won the senatorial seat to represent Oyo Central in 2003 at the age of 39 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was re-elected for a second term in 2007 on the same party’s platform.

Folarin served as the Leader of the Senate and was appointed to committees like Business & Rules, Marines, Transport, Education, Power Supply, and Water Resources. He was involved in the Power probe in 2008. As Leader of the Senate, he led debates on Executive Bills and sponsored several private bills, including the Insurance Act and Armed Forces Pension Act.

Folarin won the gubernatorial ticket of the PDP in 2014 but lost to incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the All Progressives Congress. He defected to APC in December 2017 and was elected as APC’s senatorial candidate for Oyo Central in September 2018. He won the senatorial position in the 2019 election, defeating incumbent Senator Monsurat Sunmonu.

In 2011, Folarin was charged with the murder of trade union activist Lateef Salako. He contested the 2023 Oyo State gubernatorial election on the APC platform but lost to incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde of the PDP. He was married to Barr. Angela Folarin until her death in 2022, and they had children.