Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has officially declared her intention to contest the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
She made the announcement on Saturday during an interactive programme on 103.7FM Eagle7 Sports, hosted by Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami.
Iyabo, who represented Ogun Central Senatorial District between 2007 and 2011, returned to active politics after about 15 years and formally joined the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections in the state.
Sources said that the former senator participated in the ongoing APC e-registration exercise at Ibogun, Ward 11, Ifo Local Government Area, effectively confirming her membership of the ruling party.
The renowned epidemiologist and former Ogun State Commissioner for Health lost her re-election bid in 2011 to Senator Gbenga Obadara of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). She later returned to the United States to continue her academic career, attaining the rank of professor.
Speaking during the interview, Iyabo revealed that pressure from her supporters influenced her return to politics.
“Like I told you, a group of people who I did not bring together, I did not form them into a group, have been working, I think, for two years now. And then they started talking to me about a year ago, saying, ‘Look, we think you are the best candidate. We want you back,’” she said.
The former commissioner explained that she could not return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to the turmoil within the party. She also noted that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was another option, but the party “does not have its ducks in a row yet.”
Iyabo said all those who encouraged her return are now members of the APC, adding that she conducted extensive consultations before joining the party.
“So, I think APC is my natural home. I don’t have any animosity towards any individual or group within the APC. I feel comfortable with all the actors I know within the APC. I feel more comfortable, actually, than with some of the actors I know in the PDP, and some of them are now in the ADC. I have an absolute 100% feeling it’s my natural home,” she stated.
On her political ambition, Iyabo ruled out a return to the Senate or any commissioner role, saying she is focused solely on the governorship.
“Like the American would say, there’s no need. The only thing I’ll come back to do is the governorship. And we have started that journey. We are going to see it through. That’s the journey I’m on. We are very serious about it. I mean, we are very dedicated to it,” she said.
