Daughter of former Nigeria President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Iyabo, on Wednesday, deplored the Senator representing Ogun West, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, over his ambition to contest the governorship of Ogun State in the 2027 general elections.
Iyabo urged Senator Yayi to remain in the system he started with rather than striving to become an “opportunist”.
According to her, Yayi who represented Lagos at different levels of the Legislature in Lagos for about two decades, should have continued his politicking over there rather than jumping suddenly into Ogun State.
Iyabo argued that Senator Yayi’s latter day incursion into Ogun State politics just to get the governorship seat wasn’t the best way for him to go.
The former president’s daughter hit out at Senator Yayi, on Wednesday, during a live discussion with the theme, “Political Hurdles Facing Nigerian Women, 2027 and Beyond”, on Frontline Eagle 102.5 FM, in Ilese Ijebu, Ogun State.
Iyabo, who is also a he former senator for Ogun Central Senatorial District, stressed that although there are no formal laws guiding rotation or zoning in Nigeria, she’s concerned that the Ogun West Senatorial District has yet to produce a governor, promising to push for the emergence of an Ogun West governor after her own “tenure” as governor.
Recently, Iyabo declared her intention to run for governor in Ogun State in 2027.
According to her, “I’m not sure a candidate coming in to kind of just get the governorship is the best to go. What about the other people that have been in Yewa? I think that having a governor that actually politicked in another state is not the best way to go.
“We know ourselves and everybody from Yewa that has been in politics from the start. I don’t think that’s the best option for Yewa people. One of the good points I gave about the current governor is that he has been with us here from the beginning, everybody knows him.
“If everybody starts choosing which state is advantageous for them to win something, we would all mess up the political system. That is being an opportunist, you stay in the system to start with and you move on and move on there.
“Yes, I am one of the ones concerned just about the West never having a governor. The reason we have not had a governor from Ogun West cannot be blamed on Ogun Central, right? We’ve had — and the man (referring to a caller on the programme) mentioned the number of governors from Central — two of them. He did not mention the number from the East.
“We’ve had three from Ogun East. So, is Central to blame for the West? Personally, I was instructed to help late General Olurin when he became the PDP candidate. I walked, we went and strutted and took him around. It did not work.
“I’m sensitive to their cry, I understand and I know we need to make sure that the next governor after me is from the West and I’m sure. Yes after me, because I’m going to win.”
The former president’s daughter expressed confidence in her capacity, stressing that she is not intimidated by other candidates who are also planning to contest the Ogun governorship race.
She stressed the need to bridge governance “gaps” in the state and make an impact on the lives of Ogun people.
Iyabo added, “I believe the people will get to know our capacity. I think there is a difference in terms of somebody that has the presence and the ability. So we should look at it as candidates. But also, I believe that we will get somebody from the West.
“We have to organise to do it. And I think that I actually have the capacity to do that more than the person representing the West now because this person has never supported anybody from the West.
“I have actually supported somebody from the West. So you are coming out just for yourself and I am coming out because I’ve served the people.”
Iyabo recently returned to active politics after a 15-year hiatus by joining the ruling All Progressives Congress and immediately declaring her intention to contest the 2027 governorship race.
She represented Ogun Central Senatorial District between 2007 and 2011 in the National Assembly, but lost her re-election bid in 2011 to Senator Gbenga Obadara of the then Action Congress of Nigeria.
