A fresh political row has erupted between the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Ogun State for the 2027 election, Senator Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and former APC governorship aspirant, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, over claims that she demanded reimbursement for expenses incurred during her governorship campaign.
Adeola, who chairs the Senate Committee on Appropriations, alleged that Obasanjo left the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party after he declined to refund the money she claimed to have spent during the party's governorship primary.
Speaking during a meeting with the Council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes in Remoland, Ogun State, the senator said the alleged request was insulting and suggested that Obasanjo's political ambition was driven by personal gain rather than public service.
According to him, he had visited the former lawmaker during consultations with party stakeholders because he believed she was genuinely interested in the state's development, only to later discover that her demands were centred on recovering campaign expenses.
Adeola said, "One of them claimed I offended her because I failed to refund the money she spent on the governorship race. She asked me to return both her dollar and naira expenses. I never asked her to contest the election."
He further alleged that Obasanjo eventually defected to the PDP after failing to secure what she wanted from the APC, insisting that her interest was focused on accessing the state's resources rather than serving the people.
The senator also dismissed the legal challenge against his emergence as the APC governorship candidate, claiming it was sponsored by political opponents. He maintained that politicians who defected to another party after May 10, 2026, were ineligible to contest the forthcoming election under existing legal provisions.
Adeola also questioned the legal status of the PDP, alleging that the opposition party remained divided by internal court cases and lacked a recognised leadership.
Reacting to the allegations, Obasanjo described Adeola as dishonest and lacking integrity, insisting that she never personally demanded a refund of campaign expenses.
The former Ogun Central senator explained that members of her political team presented three requests during their last meeting with Adeola, including the Senate ticket, reimbursement of campaign expenses and inclusion of her supporters in his campaign structure.
According to her, Adeola failed to respond to any of the requests and only attempted to contact her after she had left the APC, offering her money to remain in the party.
"If asking for a refund was truly insulting, why did he later offer me money not to leave the APC? He has no integrity and is a liar," she said.
Obasanjo added that the requests were made by members of her political camp, stressing that she merely informed Adeola he could address any of them but should communicate his decision.
The former Commissioner for Health resigned from the APC in May, citing alleged marginalisation and disrespect within the party before joining the PDP, where she emerged as the party's Ogun Central senatorial candidate for the 2027 election.
She had also criticised the consensus process that produced Adeola as the APC governorship candidate, alleging that she was neither consulted nor involved in the arrangement despite agreeing to abide by any consensus reached by the party.
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