‘I never requested a refund’ — Iyabo Obasanjo responds to Yayi’s claims

The political rift between former Ogun Central Senator, Iyabo Obasanjo, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), has taken a fresh turn, with the former senator rejecting allegations that she personally demanded reimbursement for her governorship campaign expenses.

In a detailed account of events, Obasanjo has maintained that the narrative being circulated by Adeola distorts what transpired during a post-primary reconciliation meeting, insisting that she neither initiated the meeting nor requested financial compensation for suspending her governorship ambition.

Her response follows comments made by Adeola during a meeting with the Council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes from Remoland at his constituency office in Ilaro, where he alleged that the former senator demanded the refund of both her naira and dollar campaign expenses after withdrawing from the APC governorship race.

Adeola argued that such a request suggested that Obasanjo was motivated by personal gain rather than public service.

However, speaking during an interview on Africa Independent Television (AIT), Obasanjo offered a different version of events, one that portrays her decision to step aside as an act of party loyalty rather than political bargaining.

According to Obasanjo, she ended her governorship aspiration immediately after the APC adopted Adeola as its consensus candidate.

She said she accepted the party’s decision without resistance and even congratulated Adeola on securing the ticket.

The former senator argued that if her intention had been financial compensation, she would have remained in the race until the conclusion of the party’s governorship primary.

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Instead, she said she voluntarily suspended her ambition long before any political negotiations took place.

Her account challenges the suggestion that her withdrawal was tied to monetary expectations.

Central to Obasanjo’s defence is her insistence that Adeola initiated the reconciliation process.

According to her, it was the APC governorship candidate who reached out the morning after his emergence, expressing interest in meeting her and members of her political structure.

“He requested to meet me and my followers,” she explained.

“If I was going to ask him for money, I would have been the one requesting to see him.”

That distinction, she argues, undermines allegations that she summoned Adeola to negotiate financial compensation.

Instead, she said the meeting was initiated by Adeola as part of efforts to unify the party after the governorship consensus arrangement.

Obasanjo acknowledged that financial issues were discussed during the meeting but insisted the requests came from her political supporters—not from her personally.

According to her, she had informed her supporters ahead of the meeting that she did not intend to ask Adeola for anything.

However, members of her political camp reportedly insisted on presenting their own demands.

She said they outlined three requests.

The first was that she should be supported for the Ogun Central senatorial seat.

She claimed she immediately rejected that proposal, insisting she was not interested.

The second request concerned reimbursement for campaign expenses incurred during her governorship consultations.

The third centred on formal political recognition for her supporters should they join Adeola’s campaign structure.

Obasanjo maintained that these were collective requests made by members of her political organisation rather than personal conditions she attached to supporting Adeola.

The former senator further disclosed that during the discussion, Adeola personally asked her how much she wanted.

According to Obasanjo, she did not present any figure or make a formal financial demand.

Instead, she said she simply replied that he could give “whatever he could afford.”

To her, the exchange was conversational rather than a financial negotiation, and certainly not the ultimatum portrayed by Adeola in his recent remarks.

She added that Adeola concluded the meeting by promising to return with a response within one week.

Obasanjo said the promised follow-up never came.

According to her, more than six weeks elapsed after the meeting without any communication from Adeola.

She explained that individuals who later attempted to contact the senator on her behalf were reportedly informed that he was occupied with other engagements.

For Obasanjo, the absence of any subsequent discussion effectively ended the matter until Adeola publicly accused her of demanding campaign refunds.

The latest exchange highlights the collapse of what once appeared to be efforts at political reconciliation within the Ogun APC.

After joining the ruling party in February 2026, Obasanjo declared her intention to contest the governorship election.

Her ambition, however, was cut short when the APC leadership adopted Adeola as its consensus candidate.

Although she initially accepted the arrangement, relations between both camps deteriorated in the months that followed.

In June, Obasanjo resigned from the APC, accusing the party leadership of persistent disrespect and alleging that agreements reached during internal consultations had not been honoured.

She subsequently defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where she secured the party’s Ogun Central senatorial ticket.