Former Senator representing Ogun Central and daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing alleged disrespect, rejection and maltreatment by the party leadership in Ogun State.
Obasanjo announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun APC Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi.
A copy of the letter was made available to journalists on Monday.
The former senator, who recently sought the APC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 election, criticised the consensus arrangement that produced Solomon Adeola as the party’s candidate, describing the process as inconsistent with APC guidelines.
She said although she had publicly and privately pledged to abide by any consensus decision reached by the party, she was not consulted before Adeola was announced as the consensus candidate.
According to her, the process violated the party’s rules, which require consultations and agreement among aspirants before a consensus candidate can emerge.
Obasanjo further alleged that some of her supporters were violently prevented from entering the venue where Adeola’s emergence was announced.
Despite her reservations, she said she chose to prioritise party unity by immediately congratulating the candidate and pledging support for his governorship ambition.
She disclosed that Adeola later contacted her and requested a meeting with her supporters.
According to her, her supporters made three requests during the meeting, stressing that none of them was compulsory.
She said Adeola promised to respond within a week but allegedly failed to do so more than two months later.
The former Ogun State Commissioner for Health said the incident was one of several experiences that left her feeling rejected and unappreciated within the party.
She stated, “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, Obasanjo expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, Chief Yemi Sanusi and the Ogun Central Senatorial Chairman, Chief Soremi, for what she described as their warm disposition towards her during her stay in the party.
“Through you, 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 added.
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