A governorship hopeful under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, Iyabo Obasanjo, has voiced strong optimism about securing the party’s ticket, noting that her widespread recognition gives her a significant advantage ahead of the 2027 election.
“I think it is an advantage for me. Many of (other) candidates have not declared but they’ve been doing things that indicated they would run, and then there’s no new candidate declaring now for the governorship in Ogun much later than I declared,” she said.
She further pointed out that several of her likely competitors have not actively reached out to voters, unlike her continued engagement at the grassroots level.
“Many of them have not really done anything in terms of going to communities and talking about their candidature,” she stated.
Obasanjo also stressed that her backing comes from her track record in public service rather than monetary influence.
“For me, I think it is an advantage and I feel very confident of my popularity on the ground. My popularity is not based on money inducement, it is based on my performance I had as a commissioner for health and as a senator,” she said.
During an appearance on Channels Television on Thursday, she spoke about her chances, suggesting that a consensus arrangement within the party could benefit her.
“As a senator in my district, everybody still says I performed the best. You can ask the man on the street, you can go to the marketplace,” she added.
Addressing the party’s intention to adopt consensus in choosing its candidate, Obasanjo maintained that such a method would ultimately mirror the preferences of party members and the electorate.
“I do believe that consensus can bring the right candidates because consensus does not mean that leadership ignores the will of the people; consensus means that they look at what the people are saying. No party wants to lose, so the party will not choose people that open them for a loss,” she said.
She also argued that consensus would naturally favour aspirants with strong public support and proven electability.
“The consensus is going to come towards people that can actually win on the ground, if that makes sense, because at the end of the day, the party wants to win.
“So, they do not want to put the least popular person as the consensus candidate in a way that is going to aggravate the other participants and in a way that is going to discourage people that are popular from participating. So, I have full belief that consensus is the way to go.” Obasanjo said.