The political battle ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election has taken a dramatic turn as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and former senator, Iyabo Obasanjo, engaged in a war of words over allegations that she demanded a refund of her campaign expenses after losing the party’s ticket.
The controversy followed Obasanjo’s recent exit from the APC, with Adeola alleging that her defection was prompted by his refusal to reimburse her for what she spent, in both naira and foreign currency, during her governorship campaign.
Addressing members of the Council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes (Market Leaders) in Remoland at his senatorial office in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government Area, Adeola claimed the former Ogun Central senator demanded that he refund her campaign expenses after the APC governorship primary.
Describing the alleged request as “insulting,” the senator said he never asked Obasanjo to join the governorship race and therefore had no obligation to bear the cost of her political ambition.
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According to him, politicians who expect reimbursement for campaign expenses after voluntarily contesting elections are driven by personal gain rather than public service.
“One of them said I offended her because I refused to refund her campaign expenses in dollars and naira. Did I ask her to join the governorship race? Asking me to refund what you spent on your electioneering campaign is insulting to me,” Adeola was quoted as saying.
He further alleged that Obasanjo’s departure from the APC had little to do with internal democracy, claiming she left because she had been offered political benefits elsewhere.
“You did not leave the APC because the party offended you. You left because you were offered money. You are not a party person; you simply want to cash in,” he alleged.
Adeola also accused opposition figures in Ogun State of pursuing selfish ambitions rather than working for the development of the state, insisting their interest lay in gaining access to public resources.
Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, returned to active politics earlier this year after joining the APC and declaring her intention to contest the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
She described herself as the candidate best suited to provide service driven leadership and insisted she would defeat all other aspirants, including Adeola, whom she had previously described as a political opportunist.
However, following an APC caucus meeting in April, the party adopted Senator Adeola as its consensus governorship candidate.
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Although Obasanjo publicly accepted the outcome and pledged loyalty to the APC, she expressed reservations about the consensus process, alleging that some of her supporters were denied access to the meeting venue while others were assaulted. She nevertheless promised to work for the party’s victory in the 2027 election.
Weeks later, she dumped the APC, citing dissatisfaction with developments within the party.
Her defection has now triggered fresh political hostilities, with Adeola’s latest allegations opening another chapter in what is shaping up to be one of the fiercest political rivalries ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election.
