Why I dumped APC — Iyabo Obasanjo

*Cites disrespect by party leadership

DAUGHTER of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, yesterday, resigned from the All Progressives Congress, APC, citing alleged disrespect, rejection, and maltreatment by the leadership of the ruling party in the State.

Prof. Obasanjo, who recently contested for the APC governorship ticket ahead of the 2027 elections, announced her resignation in a letter dated May 31 and addressed to the Ogun State Chairman of the party, Chief Yemi Sanusi.

The former lawmaker, who represented Ogun Central Senatorial district, faulted the consensus arrangement that produced Senator Solomon Adeola as the APC’s governorship candidate in Ogun State, describing the process as inconsistent with the party’s established guidelines.

According to her, the process violated the APC’s rules, which require consultation and agreement among aspirants before a consensus candidate is adopted.

She said: “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 honour 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, that is, 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 mobilising 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, and we had that meeting about two weeks later. 

“At that meeting, my people made three 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 two months. This is just part of the general treatment I have received from APC of disrespect and rejection as if I was not there, making contributions that increased support for the party in Ogun Central and across the state. I am therefore leaving the APC table where I am not welcome. This is my resignation from the party.”