Iyabo Obasanjo Dumps APC, Alleges Marginalisation After Ogun Governorship Primary

Former Ogun Central senator Iyabo Obasanjo has resigned from the All Progressives Congress, APC, accusing the party leadership in Ogun State of marginalisation, intimidation and unfair treatment during the governorship primary process.

The daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun APC chairman, Yemi Sanusi.

Obasanjo, who recently contested for the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 election, criticised the emergence of Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the APC candidate through what she described as a flawed consensus arrangement.

According to her, although she had agreed to support any candidate that emerged through a genuine consensus process, she was neither consulted nor carried along before Adeola was unveiled as the party’s preferred choice.

She further alleged that some of her supporters were blocked from entering the venue where the candidate was presented and were intimidated during the exercise.

“I committed myself to supporting any candidate that emerged through a consensus arrangement, but I was not consulted before Senator Adeola was announced,” she stated.

Despite her objections, the former senator said she accepted the outcome for the sake of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola on the night he emerged as candidate.

Obasanjo revealed that the senator later met with her supporters, who presented three demands during discussions. However, she claimed that despite a promise to respond within one week, no feedback had been received more than two months later.

She described the development as part of a repeated pattern of rejection and disregard for her contributions within the party, adding that the experience ultimately pushed her to resign.

The former lawmaker, however, thanked President Bola Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership and party stakeholders for the support she received during her time in the ruling party.

Obasanjo returned to active politics earlier this year after registering as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. Her political comeback gained attention in late 2025 when campaign billboards announcing her governorship ambition appeared across parts of the state.

Before relocating to the United States after her failed re-election bid in 2011, she served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007 and later represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011.