Iyabo Obasanjo denies demanding money from Yayi, accuses senator of blackmail

Former Ogun State governorship aspirant, Senator Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo, has dismissed allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), that she demanded millions of naira and dollars before leaving the ruling party.

Speaking on Oju Abe, a current affairs programme on Splash 106.7FM, Abeokuta, on Monday, Obasanjo described the allegation as “a deliberate act of blackmail” aimed at damaging her reputation.

The former senator accused Adeola of lacking integrity and trustworthiness, insisting that the disagreement between them had nothing to do with money but with what she described as broken promises following the APC’s consensus governorship arrangement.

“What I find uncomfortable with Yayi is lack of trust,” she said. “Yayi has trust deficit. He lacks integrity and should not be taken seriously. What he has done is playing the politics of blackmail. I can never trust him again in my life.”

Her reaction followed claims by Adeola that she requested reimbursement of campaign expenses worth millions of naira and dollars after stepping down under the party’s consensus arrangement.

Providing her own account, Obasanjo said Adeola requested a meeting with her after she dissolved her governorship campaign organisation in May 2026 in compliance with the party’s decision.

According to her, the meeting, held at her residence, focused on how both political camps could work together after the APC primary process.

She explained that her supporters presented three proposals during the meeting: possible assistance in offsetting campaign expenses if Adeola considered it appropriate, the inclusion of at least three of her loyalists in his campaign structure, and support for her ambition to contest the Ogun Central Senatorial seat.

Obasanjo said Adeola promised to consult widely and respond within one week but failed to do so.

“Six weeks later, there was no response,” she said, adding that the silence convinced her that neither she nor her supporters had been accorded the respect they deserved.

She said the development contributed to her decision to resign from the APC before accepting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial ticket.

“Now, I am no longer contesting governorship but Senate,” she said. “If it’s about money, who wants his money anyway?”

Questioning the allegations against her, Obasanjo said she could not be influenced by financial inducement and criticised what she described as a style of politics driven by money.

“What drives me, unlike them, is not transactional politics—buying people’s votes with money,” she said. “He thinks everyone has a price that can be bought.”

The former lawmaker also defended her political credentials, arguing that her years in public service predated Adeola’s rise in politics.

“When I was Commissioner for Health in 2003, he probably had not started politics. When I became Senator in 2011, he was in the Lagos State House of Assembly,” she said.

Obasanjo further highlighted the activities of her Iyaniwura Foundation, saying it had empowered thousands of people over the years without political considerations.

“We do real empowerment and touch many lives. We didn’t start helping people because of elections. Service has always been part of who we are,” she stated.

Emphasising the importance of integrity in public office, the former senator said, “In politics, your word is your bond.”

Obasanjo’s comments mark her first public response to Adeola’s allegations and deepen the political rivalry between the two figures ahead of the next general election.

Having since joined the PDP to pursue the Ogun Central Senatorial seat, she is expected to face an intense contest as the fallout from her departure from the APC continues to dominate the state’s political landscape.