By Lukman OMIKUNLE
Former Ogun Central Senator Iyabo Obasanjo has returned to the PDP after resigning from the APC over alleged marginalisation and disrespect. The Ogun PDP is preparing a massive welcome rally in her honour
Iyabo Obasanjo Rejoins PDP After APC Exit, Ogun Opposition Plans Massive Welcome Rally
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State is set to stage a grand welcome rally for former Ogun Central Senator, Iyabo Obasanjo, following her return to the party she once represented in the National Assembly after resigning from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Newsheadline247 gathered that the PDP has concluded plans for a mega homecoming event tagged Iyabo Obasanjo Reunion with Her PDP Family scheduled for June 16, 2026. The rally is expected to attract party leaders, supporters and political stakeholders from across the state, with a long procession billed to commence from Sagamu Interchange and terminate at the PDP State Secretariat in Abeokuta.
The development comes barely weeks after Obasanjo formally severed ties with the APC, citing what she described as persistent disrespect, marginalisation and rejection despite her contributions to the growth and electoral fortunes of the ruling party in Ogun State.
In her resignation letter dated May 31, 2026 and addressed to the Ogun APC Chairman, the former senator recounted her experience during the party’s governorship selection process, insisting that she entered the race with a commitment to honour any genuine consensus arrangement reached by the party.
“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,” she wrote.
However, Obasanjo alleged that the process that eventually produced the APC governorship candidate failed to meet the standards stipulated by the party’s own guidelines for consensus selection.
According to her, she attended the meeting where the candidate was announced but was neither consulted beforehand nor acknowledged despite being one of the leading aspirants in the contest.
“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… a candidate was announced. No one acknowledged my presence at the meeting,” she disclosed.
Despite her reservations, Obasanjo said she accepted the outcome in the interest of party unity and immediately communicated her support for the consensus candidate.
She revealed that the APC candidate later requested a meeting with her and her supporters, during which certain concerns and requests were presented. According to her, promises were made to revert within a week, but no further communication came thereafter.
“The consensus candidate called me the next morning and asked for a meeting with me and my followers, and we had that meeting about two weeks later,” she wrote.
“Unless he gets back to me after I send this letter, he has not reached out to me after two months.”
The APC governorship ticket in Ogun State was secured by Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.
Obasanjo maintained that the incident was only one example of what she described as a broader pattern of exclusion and disregard she had endured within the party despite her efforts to mobilise support and strengthen the APC across Ogun Central and other parts of the state.
“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,” she insisted.
In one of the most striking passages of her resignation letter, the daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared that she could no longer remain in a political environment where she felt unwanted.
“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,” she stated.
Despite her grievances, Obasanjo expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Ogun APC leadership and key party figures in Ogun Central for the personal warmth extended to her during her time 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 concluded.
Her return to the PDP is expected to reshape political calculations ahead of the next electoral cycle in Ogun State, with analysts already viewing the move as a significant boost for the opposition party as it seeks to consolidate support across key voting blocs.
