𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕: 𝐈𝐲𝐚𝐛𝐨 𝐎𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐣𝐨 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐏𝐂, 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐀𝐛𝐞𝐨𝐤𝐮𝐭𝐚

By Peter Dansu  Prof Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has reportedly joined the All Progressives Congress ahe...

By Peter Dansu 

Prof Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has reportedly joined the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections, with her registration said to have been completed in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The development was disclosed by Hon Biodun Ajayi, a former chairman of Abeokuta South Local Government, who said the former senator registered as a member of the APC on Tuesday.

Ajayi, a close associate of the Obasanjo family, told PUNCH Online that Prof Obasanjo completed her online registration at Ibogun Ward 11 in Ifo Local Government Area, formally aligning with the ruling party.

A former member of the House of Representatives from the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed the registration, describing the information as accurate.

Efforts to get an official reaction from the Ogun State chapter of the APC were unsuccessful. However, the party’s Director of Publicity, Femi Nuberu, neither confirmed nor denied the development, noting that the ongoing membership registration exercise is open to all Nigerians who meet the required age.

Prof Obasanjo, an Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, has an extensive political background. She previously served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007 and later represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the Senate from 2007 to 2011.

Speculation about her possible return to active politics intensified late last year when campaign style billboards bearing her name appeared across Abeokuta. The billboards carried a message in Yoruba affirming her roots and connection to the people of Ogun State.

Before now, political watchers had expected her to either return to the Peoples Democratic Party or align with the African Democratic Congress. The Ogun State chairman of the ADC, Otunba Femi Soluade, had publicly said the party was open to receiving her if she reached out.

Her reported decision to join the APC has surprised some observers, given her father’s perceived distance from the ruling party, especially after his support for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi during the 2023 elections.

A source close to the former senator said the move reflects her independent political judgement rather than family political alignments.

Prof Obasanjo has previously addressed the billboards credited to her supporters, explaining that they were not a sign of active political ambition. Speaking at a public event in Abeokuta, she said the displays were put up by admirers who believed she performed well while in office.

She added that although she currently enjoys a quiet academic life in the United States, she allowed her supporters to express their goodwill, stressing that she was not actively campaigning for any position.

Born on April 27, 1967, Prof Obasanjo is a trained veterinary doctor from the University of Ibadan. After losing her Senate re election bid in 2011, she returned to the United States, where she has continued her academic and professional career.