Iyabo Obasanjo Joins PDP, Clinches Ogun Central Senate Ticket

The daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo Obasanjo, has formally joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun state.

She was officially received into the Ogun PDP on Wednesday at a rally held at the party secretariat in Abeokuta, the state capital.

At the event, the chairman of the PDP in Ogun, Abayomi Tella, presented the party’s flag to Obasanjo and announced her as the Ogun central senatorial candidate in the next elections.

“On behalf of our national chairman, Alhaji Abdulrahman Mohammed, and the entire national working committee of the PDP, I, Abayomi Tella, PhD, the state chairman of the PDP, and on behalf of PDP Ogun central, present to our revered sister, Prof. Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, this flag as the authority of the party for her candidature for the Senate in Ogun Central,” Tella said.

Obasanjo pledged to abide by the party’s constitution, manifesto and code of conduct.

“I commit myself to the ideals of the PDP. I shall serve the people of Ogun State and Nigeria with integrity, humility and dedication, prioritising their welfare above personal and sectional interests,” she said.

The former lawmaker represented Ogun central in the senate between 2007 and 2011 on the platform of the PDP before defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in January 2026.

However, she resigned from the APC on June 8, two months after losing the party’s governorship ticket in the state.

Obasanjo said she left the ruling party over what she described as disrespect, betrayal and unfair treatment by the APC leadership.

She alleged acts of disrespect and betrayal against her were driven by individuals she had “helped and clothed” politically.

The former senator added that she remains the candidate to beat in the next election.

According to her, she is still the best senator to have represented Ogun central.

Shortly after joining the APC in February 2026, Obasanjo declared her interest in the governorship race.

However, she later suspended her ambition after the party adopted Solomon Adeola, senator representing Ogun west, as its consensus candidate for the 2027 elections.

In her resignation letter, she accused the party leadership of persistent disrespect and alleged that agreements previously reached were not honoured.

Obasanjo also claimed that some of her supporters were maltreated and denied access to the venue where the consensus arrangement was formalised.