Iyabo Obasanjo, a former senator from Ogun Central and the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing persistent marginalization, rejection, and unfair treatment by the Ogun State party leadership.
Obasanjo, who recently ran for the APC governorship in Ogun State, sent a resignation letter to Yemi Sanusi, the state party chairman, on May 31.
The US-based epidemiologist and former congressman criticized the consensual arrangement that resulted in Solomon Adeola, also known as Yayi, being the party’s governorship candidate, claiming that it did not follow the APC’s set rules.
She claims that even though she had promised to back any candidate chosen through a consensual process, she was not consulted or involved prior to Adeola being declared the party’s preferred candidate.
She further claimed that several of her supporters were intimidated during the exercise and refused entry to the location where the candidate was unveiled.
Obasanjo added that despite her reservations, she accepted the result for the sake of party unity and congratulated Adeola as soon as he became the candidate.
She revealed that the senator subsequently asked to meet with her supporters, who made three demands. She asserted, however, that no reaction had been received more than two months after a commitment to reply within a week.
The development, according to the former senator, confirmed what she called a persistent pattern of contempt and undervaluation for her position within the party.
“I promised to back any candidate chosen by consensus, but I wasn’t consulted before to Senator Adeola’s announcement. A few of my fans were bullied and refused access to the event. Nevertheless, I publicly congratulated him that same evening and accepted the choice for the sake of unity,” she said.
She continued by saying that even though Adeola later met with her supporters and pledged to address concerns brought up at the meeting, no response had been received.
Obasanjo claims that the way she was treated following the primary was indicative of ongoing contempt and rejection, which eventually affected her choice to quit the party.
She did, however, thank President Bola Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership, and party members for their support and courtesies throughout her tenure in the APC.
Earlier this year, Obasanjo made a comeback to partisan politics by registering as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State.
Before serving as the Ogun State Commissioner for Health from 2003 to 2007, she represented the Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011.
She moved to the United States after her unsuccessful 2011 reelection attempt, and she mostly avoided active politics until late 2025, when her image appeared on campaign billboards throughout Ogun State, suggesting a potential comeback prior to the 2027 governorship contest.
She later stated that she wanted to run for Ogun governor on the APC platform before finally resigning from the party.
