The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 Ogun State election, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and former APC governorship aspirant, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, have exchanged accusations over claims that she requested reimbursement for money spent during her governorship campaign.
The disagreement became public on Sunday after Adeola addressed party supporters in Ogun State.
Adeola, who represents Ogun West in the Senate and chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, said Iyabo Obasanjo left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after he declined to refund the money she allegedly spent on her campaign. He described the reported request as unacceptable and claimed it showed that her interest in politics was driven by personal gain rather than service to the people of Ogun State.
Speaking during a meeting with market leaders in Remoland at his senatorial office in Ilaro, Adeola said he had earlier met with Obasanjo as part of efforts to unite members of the APC after the party’s governorship primary. He explained that he believed she wanted to contribute to the state’s development but later became convinced that her political ambition was based on personal interests.
The senator also claimed that after failing to get what she wanted from him and the APC, Obasanjo moved to the PDP, where she later emerged as the party’s candidate for the Ogun Central Senatorial District. He added that more details about the matter would become public at the appropriate time.
Adeola also spoke about the legal challenge against his emergence as the APC governorship candidate. He alleged that political opponents were behind the court case and maintained that those contesting his candidacy would not succeed.
He argued that politicians who defected from their parties after May 10, 2026, were not qualified to contest the 2027 election under existing legal provisions. He further claimed that the PDP was facing internal legal disputes that could affect its status ahead of the election.
Responding to the allegations, Iyabo Obasanjo denied making any personal demand for campaign reimbursement. She accused Adeola of making false claims and questioned why he allegedly tried to persuade her to remain in the APC after describing the issue as offensive.
According to her, the requests presented to Adeola came from members of her political team during discussions before she left the APC. She said the requests included support for a Senate ticket, reimbursement of campaign expenses incurred by her supporters and the inclusion of her political associates in the campaign structure. She added that Adeola neither accepted the requests nor communicated his decision before she resigned from the party.
Obasanjo also claimed that after she left the APC, Adeola made efforts to reach her and allegedly offered her money to reconsider her decision. She maintained that the actions contradicted his public statements and insisted that she did not personally demand payment from him.
The former Ogun State Commissioner for Health returned to active politics earlier this year when she rejoined the APC. However, she resigned from the party in May, citing unfair treatment, lack of respect and dissatisfaction with the process that produced Adeola as the party’s governorship candidate. She later joined the PDP and emerged as its Ogun Central senatorial candidate for the 2027 election.
Obasanjo also criticised the APC’s consensus process, saying she was not consulted before Adeola was announced as the party’s governorship candidate. She alleged that some of her supporters were prevented from attending the unveiling event and faced intimidation during the exercise.