Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, has broken her silence over her departure from the All Progressives Congress (APC), revealing that she resigned because the party's consensus governorship candidate in Ogun State failed to keep promises made to her and her followers.
Speaking on the Morayo Show on Thursday, July 2, 2026, Iyabo disclosed that her decision to leave the ruling party was driven by deep disappointment and a sense of betrayal. "I resigned from the APC because I was upset that the consensus candidate failed to keep the promises he made to me and my followers," she said. Her revelation comes just days after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State formally received her into its fold, handing her the senatorial ticket for Ogun Central ahead of the 2027 elections.
Iyabo returned to active politics in January 2026 after 15 years away from the political scene, joining the APC and declaring her ambition to contest the Ogun State governorship election. She had previously served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health from 2003 to 2007 and represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011. Her comeback was marked by campaign billboards bearing her image across parts of Ogun State, signalling a serious bid for the governorship.
However, her stay in the ruling party was short-lived. On May 31, 2026, she resigned from the APC after losing the governorship ticket, accusing the party leadership of disrespect, betrayal and unfair treatment. In her resignation letter addressed to the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, she cited persistent marginalisation, rejection and lack of respect.
The bone of contention was the emergence of Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the party's consensus governorship candidate. Iyabo alleged that she was neither consulted nor involved before Adeola was announced as the party's preferred candidate, even though she had agreed to support any candidate that emerged through a consensus arrangement. She also claimed that some of her supporters were denied access to the venue where the candidate was unveiled and were subjected to intimidation during the exercise.
Despite her concerns, she said she accepted the outcome in the interest of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola following his emergence. However, she alleged that Adeola later met with her supporters and promised to respond to their demands within a week, but no feedback was received more than two months later. "The treatment I received after the primary reflected persistent rejection and disrespect, which ultimately influenced my decision to leave the party," she stated.
Following her resignation, Iyabo was officially received into the PDP at a massive rally held at the party secretariat in Abeokuta, flanked by the party's governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, and a crowd of supporters. The PDP State Chairman, Abayomi Tella, announced her as the party's candidate for Ogun Central in the next election.
The former senator's defection has added fresh drama to Ogun politics ahead of the 2027 elections. For the APC, her exit raises questions about post-primary management and how the party handles aspirants who lose out during internal contests. For the PDP, Iyabo's arrival gives the opposition party a major political name as it prepares for the next governorship battle in Ogun State.
Iyabo, who holds a doctorate in epidemiology and is based in the United States, had largely stayed away from active politics since her unsuccessful re-election bid in 2011 until late 2025. Her decision to return and subsequently leave the APC underscores the high-stakes political maneuvering unfolding in Ogun State, one of Nigeria's most politically volatile states.
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