Former Ogun Central Senator and daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing what she described as persistent disrespect, exclusion and unfair treatment by the party’s leadership in Ogun State.
Obasanjo announced her decision in a resignation letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi.
The former lawmaker, who recently sought the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections, expressed disappointment over the circumstances surrounding the emergence of Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the APC’s consensus governorship candidate.
According to Obasanjo, she had committed herself to supporting any candidate produced through a transparent consensus arrangement. However, she alleged that she was neither consulted nor involved in the process that led to Adeola’s emergence as the party’s preferred candidate.
She further claimed that some of her supporters were denied access to the venue where the consensus candidate was unveiled and were subjected to intimidation during the exercise.
Despite her grievances, the former senator said she chose to accept the outcome in the interest of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola shortly after his emergence.
Obasanjo disclosed that the senator later reached out and requested a meeting with her supporters. During the meeting, she said, three requests were presented to him, with a promise that a response would be provided within a week.
However, she noted that more than two months had passed without any feedback, a development she said reinforced her belief that she was being sidelined within the party.
“The treatment I have received reflects a consistent pattern of rejection and disrespect,” she stated in the letter.
“When disrespect is the only dish served, then one should leave the table. I am therefore leaving the APC table where I am not welcomed.”
Despite her decision to quit the ruling party, Obasanjo expressed gratitude to President , Ogun APC Chairman Chief Yemi Sanusi and leaders of the Ogun Central APC structure for the support and courtesies extended to her during her time in the party.
The resignation marks a significant political development in Ogun State, particularly as preparations for the 2027 governorship election begin to gather momentum.
Obasanjo only returned to active partisan politics earlier this year when she formally registered as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Before then, she had largely stayed away from frontline politics following her tenure as senator representing Ogun Central between 2007 and 2011. She also served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health from 2003 to 2007.
After losing her Senate re-election bid in 2011, she relocated to the United States, where she continued her academic career as an Associate Professor of Epidemiology.
Her return to the political scene became evident in late 2025 when campaign billboards bearing her image appeared across Abeokuta, fuelling speculation about a governorship ambition.
She subsequently declared her intention to contest the Ogun governorship election under the APC platform before ultimately withdrawing from the party following the controversial consensus process.
Her next political move remains unclear, but her resignation is expected to generate fresh discussions within Ogun State’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.
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