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.
The resignation became public on Sunday, June 7, 2026, when a copy of her resignation letter, dated May 31, 2026, and addressed to the Ogun State APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, was made available to journalists.
Obasanjo, who recently sought the party’s governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections, criticised the consensus process that produced Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the APC’s governorship candidate in Ogun State.
She argued that the process was inconsistent with the party’s guidelines, maintaining that although she had pledged to support any consensus arrangement adopted by the party, she was neither consulted nor involved before Adeola was presented as the consensus candidate.
The former senator also alleged that some of her supporters were denied access to the venue where the candidate was unveiled and were subjected to intimidation.
Despite her reservations, Obasanjo said she accepted the outcome in the interest of party unity and publicly congratulated Adeola on the night of his emergence.
According to her, the senator later requested a meeting with her supporters, during which three key requests were presented. She said Adeola promised to respond within one week but failed to do so more than two months after the meeting.
“The treatment I have received since then has reflected a consistent pattern of rejection and disrespect. 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,” she stated.
The former lawmaker, however, expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, the Ogun APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, and leaders of the Ogun Central Senatorial District for the support and courtesies extended to her during her time in the party.
Obasanjo returned to active partisan politics earlier this year after registering as an APC member in Ward 11, Ibogun, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
She previously served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health from 2003 to 2007 and represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate between 2007 and 2011.
After losing her re-election bid in 2011, she relocated to the United States and largely stayed away from partisan politics until late 2025, when campaign billboards bearing her image appeared across Abeokuta, signalling a possible political comeback ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
She subsequently declared her intention to contest the Ogun governorship race on the APC platform before formally announcing her resignation from the party.