The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the 2027 Ogun governorship election, Solomon Adeola, and former Ogun Central Senator Iyabo Obasanjo have exchanged words over an alleged demand for reimbursement of campaign expenses.
The disagreement followed claims by Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, that Obasanjo asked him to refund the money she allegedly spent during her campaign for the governorship ticket.
Speaking at a meeting with the council of Iyalajes and Babaalajes from Remoland at his constituency office in Ilaro on Saturday, Adeola said he had met with Obasanjo as part of his consultations ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The Ogun West senator alleged that the former senator made unreasonable demands during their engagement.
Obasanjo had declared her intention to contest the governorship shortly after joining the APC in February 2026. However, she later suspended her ambition after the party adopted Adeola as its candidate.
Adeola claimed that Obasanjo demanded a refund of the money she had spent on her campaign, arguing that the alleged demand showed that she was more interested in personal financial gains than public service.
“She (referring to Iyabo Obasanjo) said I reneged on promises. She said she joined the governorship race and failed and wanted me to refund her expenses that I should refund her dollars and naira. Did I ask her to join the governorship race?” he said.
“You are asking me to refund you what you have expended on this electioneering campaign. First and foremost, I find it insulting.
“Now you have left the party. You left the party not because the party wronged you. You left the party because you were offered money.
“You are not a party person. You just want to cash in, and you are being paid. You don’t mean well for Ogun state. They are there in their numbers looking for the purse of Ogun state.”
Obasanjo resigned from the APC in June, citing what she described as persistent disrespect from the party’s leadership and an alleged breach of agreements by Adeola.
She subsequently joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and secured the party’s Ogun Central senatorial ticket.
‘Yayi was the one who called’
However, in an interview with AIT on Monday, Obasanjo gave a different account of the events surrounding the disagreement.
She said she withdrew from the governorship race on the day Adeola was endorsed as the APC’s consensus candidate and congratulated him on his emergence.
Obasanjo argued that if she had been interested in obtaining money from Adeola, she would have remained in the race until the party’s governorship primary election.
According to her, Adeola contacted her after his emergence and expressed interest in meeting her and her supporters.
She said her supporters subsequently presented three demands during the meeting, despite her own position that she did not want anything from the senator.
“The next morning, he called me and said he wanted to come and see me and my followers. I told my followers,” she said.
“I told my followers. They said when he comes, they are going to ask for specific things. I said I’m not asking because I don’t need anything from him.
“He requested to meet me and my people. If I was going to ask him for money, I would be the one to request to meet him.
“When he came, my people made three demands. They said they wanted the senate for me. I told them I don’t want the senate.
“Second, they asked for the money I had spent on the campaign. Third, they wanted formal recognition if they would join his campaign.”
Obasanjo added that when Adeola personally asked how much she wanted, she responded that he could give whatever he could afford.
She said Adeola promised to respond within a week after the meeting but had not contacted her more than six weeks later.
According to her, some people who later contacted the senator on her behalf were reportedly told that he was busy.