Former Ogun Central senator and daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing alleged marginalisation, rejection and unfair treatment by the party leadership in Ogun State.
Obasanjo announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun APC Chairman, Yemi Sanusi.
The former lawmaker, who recently contested for the APC governorship ticket in Ogun State, criticised the process that produced Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the party’s governorship candidate.
She argued that the consensus arrangement used to select the candidate did not follow the APC’s established guidelines.
According to Obasanjo, although she had agreed to support any candidate who emerged through a consensus process, she was not consulted before Adeola was announced as the party’s preferred candidate.
She also alleged that some of her supporters were denied entry to the venue where the candidate was unveiled 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. Some of my supporters were denied entry to the venue and intimidated. Nevertheless, I accepted the decision in the interest of unity and publicly congratulated him that same night,” she stated.
Despite her concerns, Obasanjo said she accepted the outcome for the sake of party unity and congratulated Adeola immediately after he emerged as the candidate.
She revealed that Adeola later met with her supporters, who presented three demands during the meeting. However, she claimed that although he promised to respond within one week, no feedback had been received more than two months later.
She added that the development strengthened her belief that there was a pattern of disregard and lack of appreciation for her contributions to the party.
According to Obasanjo, the treatment she received after the primary election reflected continued rejection and disrespect, which eventually led to her decision to leave the APC.
She, however, thanked Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership and other party stakeholders for the support and courtesies extended to her during her time in the party.
Obasanjo returned to active politics earlier this year when she registered as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
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.
After losing her re-election bid in 2011, she relocated to the United States and stayed away from active politics until late 2025, when campaign billboards bearing her image appeared across parts of Ogun State, signalling her possible return ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
She later declared her ambition to contest the Ogun governorship election on the APC platform before eventually announcing her resignation from the party.
