… Iyabo’s Grassroots Clout Faces Brothers’ Backing For Yayi
….PLATFORM TIMES investigation Reveals Contrasting Political Influence
Daud Olatunji
The political family of former President Olusegun Obasanjo appears to have become divided ahead of the 2027 Ogun State governorship election, with two of his sons publicly aligning with the All Progressives Congress governorship hopeful, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, while his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, is firmly in the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The latest development emerged on Friday when Adeola announced that Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo and Mr. Olujuwon Obasanjo paid him a visit at his Abeokuta residence, where they reportedly endorsed his governorship ambition.
In a statement shared on his social media platforms, the senator expressed appreciation for the visit.
“I was honoured to receive two great scions of our father and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, in my residence in Abeokuta earlier today. Dr. Olugbenga Obasanjo and Mr. Olujuwon Obasanjo visited me to commend my sterling performance in governance and to pledge their unalloyed support for my aspiration as the APC gubernatorial candidate for Ogun 2027,” Adeola wrote.
The endorsement comes at a time when another member of the Obasanjo family, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, has pitched her tent with the PDP after parting ways with the APC.
Iyabo, who represented Ogun Central in the Senate between 2003 and 2007, recently returned to active politics and was unveiled by the PDP as its senatorial candidate for Ogun Central ahead of the 2027 general election.
Her defection to the opposition party was widely interpreted as a major political boost for the PDP, which is preparing for another fierce contest with the ruling APC in Ogun State.
The latest endorsements have fuelled speculation that the Obasanjo family is now politically divided, with members backing rival political camps in what is expected to be one of the state’s most closely watched electoral battles.
While Iyabo is expected to campaign alongside the PDP governorship candidate, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, her brothers have openly thrown their weight behind Adeola’s APC governorship bid.
The unfolding political realignment has added another intriguing dimension to Ogun politics, where the influence of the Obasanjo name has remained significant for decades.
PLATFORM TIMES investigation, however, showed that among the three Obasanjo siblings now publicly identified with opposing political camps, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo remains the most politically established in Ogun State, particularly in Ogun Central Senatorial District.
Having represented Ogun Central in the Senate between 2003 and 2007, Iyabo enjoys a far stronger political profile and grassroots recognition than her brothers, Dr. Olugbenga and Mr. Olujuwon, who have largely remained outside the mainstream of Ogun politics.
Although neither of the two brothers is known to have held elective office or played a prominent role in the state’s political landscape, political observers say bearing the Obasanjo name has inevitably drawn public attention to their endorsement of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola’s governorship ambition.
Former President Obasanjo has yet to publicly endorse any governorship aspirant or political party ahead of the 2027 election, maintaining the political ambiguity that has often characterised his interventions in electoral contests.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that as Adeola is seeking to fly the APC flag and Adebutu preparing another shot at the governorship on the PDP platform, the emerging political split within one of Nigeria’s most prominent families is expected to further heighten interest in the race to succeed Governor Dapo Abiodun in 2027.
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