Iyabo Obasanjo Resigns From APC Over Alleged Disrespect

Iyabo Obasanjo, the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing repeated disrespect and exclusion by party leaders in Ogun State.

Iyabo, a former senator who represented Ogun Central, announced her decision in a resignation letter dated May 31 and addressed to Yemi Sanusi, the APC chairman in Ogun State.

In the letter, she expressed frustration over her treatment by the party and accused key figures of failing to honour commitments made during the party’s governorship selection process ahead of the 2027 election.

After joining the APC in February, Iyabo declared her interest in contesting for governor of Ogun State.

However, she later stepped aside after the party adopted a consensus arrangement that produced Senator Solomon Adeola as its preferred candidate.

Despite accepting the outcome, Iyabo Obasanjo said the process was not fair because some of her supporters were prevented from entering the venue where the consensus decision was announced, while others were allegedly subjected to intimidation.

She explained that before the exercise, she had publicly and privately assured party members that she would respect the party’s final decision once a consensus candidate emerged.

However, Iyabo Obasanjo said she was disappointed by the manner in which the process unfolded.

According to her, the candidate was announced without any prior consultation with her, despite being one of the leading contenders in the race.

She also noted that no recognition was given to her presence at the meeting, even after spending months mobilising support for the APC across Ogun State.

Iyabo stated that she eventually accepted the decision because she believed preserving unity within the party was more important than personal ambition.

The letter reads: “When I started the journey to get the party’s nomination for Governor, I came to see you and I said to you and everyone both privately and publicly that I will honor the party’s consensus decision once it has been made.

“When that day came, even as violence was perpetrated against my supporters to stop them from entering the venue, I maintained my calmness.

“At the venue, with no prior meeting with me as a candidate, given what the national party says in its guidelines on what consensus should be, i.e., having meetings where all candidates agree to the candidate that will be announced, a candidate was announced.

“No one acknowledged my presence at the meeting, given that I was the most prominent opposition to the candidate chosen, and I had traversed the state mobilizing and encouraging grassroots APC support.

“Based on my conviction that party unity is important, I wrote my letter accepting the party’s consensus candidate that night, even with the flawed process. The consensus candidate called me the next morning and asked for a meeting with my followers and me, which we had about 2 weeks later.

“At that meeting, my people made 3 requests, which I said were not compulsory, but he should let me know so I would let my people know his responses, and he said I should give him a week.

“Unless he gets back to me after I send this letter, he has not reached out to me after 2 months. This is just part of the general treatment I have received from APC of disrespect and rejection, as if I were not there, making contributions that increased support for the party in
Ogun Central and across the state.

“A famous person once said that when disrespect is the only dish served, then one should leave the table. I am therefore leaving the APC table where I am not welcome. This is my resignation from the party.’

Despite her grievances, Iyabo expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and some party leaders who, according to her, treated her with respect during her time in the APC.

“I want to thank the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for receiving me warmly as usual, and I thank you and our Ogun Central Senatorial Chairman, Chief Soremi, as both of you treated me well and I will always remember that,” she said.

Her resignation marks the end of a brief stay in the ruling party and comes amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 elections in Ogun State.

ALSO READ: My Supporters Were Attacked Before Ogun APC Guber Consensus – Iyabo Obasanjo