Professor Iyabo Obasanjo, a former senator and commissioner and the daughter of Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has formally declared her intention to contest the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State, south-west Nigeria, under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Prof Obasanjo made the declaration during an interview with Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami on 103.7FM Eagle7 Sports, monitored in Abeokuta on Saturday. Her comments mark her most explicit confirmation yet of a return to frontline politics, this time with a clear focus on the state’s top executive office.
Ruling out any plans to return to the National Assembly or take up an appointive role, Obasanjo said her political comeback is solely directed at the governorship race.
“So moving ahead, I’m not going to be Commissioner. Like I said, I’m not even going back to the same party because I think that’s old and I don’t see the use of it. And I’m not going to go back to the Senate,” she said.
Emphasising the singular nature of her ambition, she added:
“Like the American would say, there’s no need. And this is what I told my associates, when this all started. I said, the only thing I’ll come back to do is the governorship.
“And we have started that journey. We are going to see it through. And so that’s the journey I’m on. And we are very serious about it. I mean we are very dedicated to it.”
Okay News reports that Prof Obasanjo also confirmed her decision to join the APC, Nigeria’s ruling party at the federal level, describing the move as a response to sustained pressure from supporters who have been mobilising independently for her return to politics.
“Like I told you, a group of people who I did not bring together, have been working, I think, for two years now. And then they started talking to me about a year ago, saying, ‘Look, we think you are the best candidate. We want you back,’” she said.
Prof Obasanjo, who has previously represented Ogun Central Senatorial District and served as a commissioner in the state, becomes one of the early high-profile figures to signal interest in the 2027 Ogun governorship contest.
