Fresh Political Rift Emerges in Obasanjo Family Over Yayi’s Governorship Bid

The family of former President Olusegun Obasanjo appears to be divided over the 2027 Ogun State governorship race after two of his sons publicly declared support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi.

Senator Adeola disclosed on Friday that Olugbenga Obasanjo and Olujuwon Obasanjo paid him a courtesy visit at his residence in Abeokuta, where they endorsed his governorship ambition.

Sharing details of the meeting on his verified Facebook page, the Ogun West senator described the visit as an honour.

“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. Much appreciation to the two brothers. Omo Ogun Iseya,” Adeola wrote.

The endorsement comes weeks after Adeola emerged as the APC’s governorship candidate, strengthening his position as the party’s preferred successor to Governor Dapo Abiodun.

However, the endorsement stands in sharp contrast to the position of former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, daughter of the former president, who recently left the APC following disagreements over Adeola’s emergence as the party’s candidate.

Iyabo had contested the APC governorship ticket but lost after the party adopted Adeola as its consensus candidate before the primary election. She subsequently criticised the process, alleging that it violated the party’s guidelines and unfairly sidelined her despite an earlier consensus agreement.

On June 8, she resigned from the APC, citing persistent disrespect and unfair treatment by the party leadership. Reports later suggested that she was preparing to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where she previously played a prominent political role.

The differing political choices by the Obasanjo siblings highlight growing divisions within the influential family ahead of the 2027 Ogun governorship election.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has not publicly endorsed Adeola’s governorship bid. The elder statesman has largely maintained his distance from the APC over the years and has rarely thrown his weight behind candidates of the ruling party during elections.

On Thursday, Obasanjo visited Kano, where he met with Rabiu Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), fuelling fresh political speculation ahead of the 2027 general elections. Neither Obasanjo nor Kwankwaso disclosed the purpose of the meeting.

Although Olugbenga and Olujuwon Obasanjo have openly backed Adeola, there is no indication that they were speaking on behalf of their father.

Adeola currently represents Ogun West Senatorial District in the Senate. Before returning to Ogun politics, he represented Lagos West Senatorial District from 2015 to 2023 after serving several terms in the House of Representatives.