Former Ogun Central Senator and daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, citing what she described as repeated rejection, poor treatment and lack of regard for her by the party leadership.
Her resignation was contained in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun State APC Chairman, Yemi Sanusi.
Obasanjo, who recently sought the APC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 election, said her decision followed events surrounding the selection of Senator Solomon Adeola as the party’s governorship candidate. According to her, the process that produced Adeola did not follow the party’s laid down guidelines for reaching a consensus candidate.
She explained that although she had agreed to support any candidate chosen through a consensus arrangement, she was not consulted before Adeola was announced as the preferred candidate. She also claimed that some of her supporters were denied entry into the venue where the candidate was presented and were allegedly intimidated during the exercise.
Despite her concerns, Obasanjo said she accepted the outcome in the interest of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola after his emergence. She stated that following the exercise, the senator contacted her and requested a meeting with her supporters.
According to her, three requests were presented during the meeting and Adeola promised to provide feedback within a week. However, she said more than two months passed without any response, a development she viewed as part of a wider pattern of disregard towards her and her supporters within the party.
The former lawmaker said the treatment she received convinced her that she was no longer welcomed in the APC, leading to her decision to leave the party.
Although she expressed dissatisfaction with her experience, Obasanjo thanked President Bola Tinubu, Ogun APC Chairman Yemi Sanusi and leaders of the Ogun Central Senatorial District for the support and respect they extended to her during her time in the party.
Obasanjo returned to active politics earlier this year when she registered as a member of the APC in Ward 11, Ibogun, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State. Before then, she had spent several years away from partisan politics after relocating to the United States following her unsuccessful re-election bid to the Senate in 2011.
She previously served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007 before representing Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011.
Her return to the political scene became evident in late 2025 when campaign billboards bearing her image appeared across parts of Abeokuta ahead of preparations for the 2027 governorship election. She later declared her ambition to contest for governor under the APC before eventually announcing her departure from the party.