Former Ogun Central Senator and daughter of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what she described as persistent disrespect, rejection and unfair treatment by the party’s leadership in Ogun State.
Obasanjo announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi. The development comes months after she contested for the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections.
In the resignation letter, the US-based Associate Professor of Epidemiology criticised the consensus process that produced Solomon Adeola as the party’s governorship candidate, arguing that the process did not comply with APC guidelines.
According to her, despite agreeing beforehand to support any candidate that emerged through a consensus arrangement, she was neither consulted nor involved before Adeola was unveiled as the consensus choice. She also alleged that some of her supporters were denied access to the venue of the announcement and subjected to intimidation.
Although she accepted the outcome in the interest of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola on the night of his emergence, Obasanjo said subsequent events reinforced her feeling of being sidelined within the party.
She disclosed that Adeola later met with her supporters and promised to respond within one week to three requests presented during the meeting. However, more than two months later, she said no response had been received.
“The treatment I have received since then has reflected a consistent pattern of rejection and disrespect. When disrespect is the only dish served, then one should leave the table. I am therefore leaving the APC table where I am not welcomed,” she stated.
Despite her decision to leave the ruling party, Obasanjo expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership and party stakeholders for the support and courtesy shown to her during her membership.
Obasanjo returned to active politics earlier this year after registering as an APC member in Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. She had previously served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health from 2003 to 2007 and represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate between 2007 and 2011.
Following her defeat in the 2011 senatorial election, she relocated to the United States and largely stayed away from partisan politics until late 2025, when campaign billboards bearing her image appeared across Abeokuta, signalling a potential political comeback ahead of the 2027 governorship race.
Her resignation has now sparked fresh political speculation over her next move and the potential impact on Ogun State’s political landscape ahead of the next election cycle.
