Yayi tackles Iyabo Obasanjo, says ex-president’s daughter ‘only interested in Ogun purse’

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 Ogun State election, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, has accused former APC governorship aspirant, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, of being “only interested in Ogun purse” following her exit from the ruling party.

Adeola alleged that Obasanjo left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after he refused to refund money she claimed to have spent during her governorship campaign. He described the alleged request as insulting and accused her of pursuing personal interests rather than public service.

Speaking during a meeting with the Council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes in Remoland, Ogun State, the senator said he had initially engaged Obasanjo in consultations because he believed she was genuinely interested in the state’s development, but later concluded that her political ambition was driven by personal gain.

“Their intention is driven by personal interest and not the interest of Ogun State. They are looking for the state purse. One of them said I offended her because I refused to refund what she spent on her governorship campaign. Asking me to refund her campaign expenses is insulting. You left the party because you were offered money. You don’t mean well for Ogun State,” Adeola said.

The senator also addressed the legal challenge to his emergence as the APC governorship candidate, insisting that politicians who defected to another party after May 10, 2026, were not qualified to contest the 2027 election. He also argued that the PDP was facing internal legal disputes that could affect its standing.

Responding to the allegations, Obasanjo dismissed Adeola’s claims, describing him as “a liar” and questioning why he allegedly continued reaching out to her and later offered her money to remain in the APC if he considered the request for a refund offensive.

She explained that during their last meeting, members of her political team presented three requests to Adeola, including the Ogun Central Senate ticket, reimbursement of campaign expenses and inclusion of her supporters in his campaign structure. According to her, he failed to respond to any of the requests before she left the party.

Obasanjo, who resigned from the APC before joining the PDP as its Ogun Central senatorial candidate for the 2027 election, also criticised the consensus process that produced Adeola as the APC governorship candidate, alleging that she was neither consulted nor involved despite earlier agreeing to abide by any consensus arrangement adopted by the party. She further claimed that some of her supporters were denied access to the venue where Adeola was unveiled as the party’s candidate.