The daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, lamenting the treatment she received from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Senator Obasanjo-Bello, who had vied for the APC governorship ticket for the 2027 election in Ogun State, formally announced her defection at a rally held at the Ogun PDP Secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Addressing party faithful and leaders at the event, she faulted the process that produced Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola as the APC consensus candidate, alleging that she and other aspirants were deliberately sidelined.
The former Commissioner for Health in the state added that her decision to leave the ruling party was not driven by personal ambition, but by what she described as a lack of fairness and inclusiveness within the party.
She revealed being attracted to the party by her relationship with President Bola Tinubu, adding that she had agreed to abide by any consensus arrangement, provided it was conducted in accordance with the party’s constitution and involved all aspirants.
In Iyabo’s words, “When I returned to active politics, I chose to join the APC because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu treated me with great respect and dignity. He regarded me like his own daughter, gave me my rightful place, and accorded me the recognition I deserved. It was never about money; it was about respect.
“In Yorubaland, prestige and honour are often valued more than money. When you give me prestige and recognition, you earn my loyalty and respect in return.
“Nobody persuaded or begged me to join the APC. It was my people who called me back into politics. They told me that Ogun State was no longer the same as the one I left and urged me to return and contribute once again to its development.
“I answered that call because the people still remembered the good work I did as a Senator and as a Commissioner in Ogun State. Their support and confidence inspired my return.
“As part of the consultation process, we toured Ogun West and Ogun East and were preparing to move to Ogun Central before a meeting was suddenly called by the party leadership.”
The former senator argued that the process could not be regarded as a genuine consensus because aspirants from Ogun Central and Ogun East were excluded from the consultations.
Obasanjo-Bello, who used her defection event to declare her intention to contest the Ogun Central Senatorial seat on the PDP platform, boasted that she and the party’s governorship candidate are true indigenes of Ogun State, insisting that the APC is fielding a Lagos indigene as its governorship flag bearer.
She pledged her loyalty to the PDP and promised to work closely with its leadership to ensure victory in the forthcoming elections.
In his remarks, the PDP governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, described Obasanjo’s defection as a major boost for the party and expressed confidence that the PDP would emerge victorious in the next governorship election.
Adebutu assured party supporters that his administration, if elected, would address what he termed the shortcomings of the current APC-led government and restore good governance to the state.
