Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, first daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, has confirmed knowledge of the political billboards bearing her image and springing up across Abeokuta ahead of the 2027 elections were erected by her supporters.

Obasanjo-Bello, now an Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, United States, said that although she is “not keen on contesting for any political office in 2027,” her political future ultimately rests in the hands of God and her supporters.

The former Commissioner for Health and one-time senator for Ogun Central (2007–2011) stated this in Sagamu during an interview with Remo TV at the 70th birthday celebration of a former National President of the National Council of Women Societies, Chief Mrs Gloria Shoda.

Recently, large billboards featuring the former senator have appeared in major parts of Abeokuta, including Abiola Way near the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Oke Mosan opposite the Immigration office, and Brewery Junction.

The billboards carry the bold message: “In Ogun State, we know ourselves. Sen (Prof) Iyabo Obasanjo. Omo wa ni, eniyan wa ni, ara wa ni.

But speaking in the interview with Remo TV, which went viral on the social media,  Obasanjo-Bello clarified that she is not actively seeking a political comeback.

“There are some people who have worked with me in the past. They came together and said, ‘This is who we like.’ I told them to stop it—that I am living a good life. I live in the US, I teach at the university, and I am fine

But she said her supporters persuaded her to let them proceed.

“People told me to let them be, after all, they are not asking me for money. They said it was a sign of love and that I did well while in politics. They said stopping them would dampen their enthusiasm. So I have allowed them. Nobody can say I am actively campaigning for anything, but I have given these people the go-ahead.”

She added that the renewed calls for her return to politics underscores that leaders should always act with integrity.

“If you do good, people will come back and we still want you for something. Whether what they want now becomes reality is not in my hands but in their hands and God’s hand.

“I don’t know if I am interested in politics again. I have built a very good life for myself. I love teaching; I love encouraging my students. I love to guide people and provide mentorship. There are several people in Ogun State that I have helped to become who they are today.

Meanwhile,  Obasanjo-Bello said she was in Sagamu to honour Mrs Shoda, whom she praised as “an epitome of womaness…a formidable woman who has led at various times.”

She also spoke about her longstanding link to Remo land, noting: “My grandmother, Alice Akinlawon née Ogunlaja, is from Ode Remo. Our family house is still there. I am the Iyalode of Ode Remo, a title bestowed on me by the late Alaye of Ode Remo, Oba Funso Adeolu, popularly known as Eleyinmi.”

Born on April 27, 1967,  Obasanjo-Bello trained as a veterinary doctor at the University of Ibadan before becoming Commissioner for Health between 2003 and 2007, and later senator between 2007 and 2011.

She lost her 2011 re-election bid to Gbenga Obadara of the Action Congress of Nigeria and subsequently returned to the United States.

Her campaign billboards  have sparked speculation that she may contest again in 2027, possibly on the platform of the African Democratic Congress.

A prominent politician in the state, who preferred anonymity, told our correspondent:

“The former senator is yet to declare her next political move, but many believe she might be eyeing the Ogun Central senatorial seat again, and the likely party is ADC. Remember that former President Obasanjo gave tactical support to ADC in 2019.”

Last month,  Ogun ADC Chairman, Otunba Femi Soluade, told our correspondent that the party was open to receiving her.

He said, “We have also heard the possibility of Senator Iyabo Obasanjo joining us, but she has not contacted the party. We are eagerly waiting for her. Once she reaches out, we will hold discussions.”

A former governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, has denied being indicted in any corruption-related matter.

He also affirmed his membership in the People’s Democratic Party.

The ex-governor was recently nominated by President Bola Tinubu for an ambassadorial position and is awaiting Senate confirmation.

Sunday PUNCH had analysed the nominees, spotlighting five surrounded by controversies.

In Ikpeazu’s case, our correspondent referenced a Premium Times report on a 2024 KPMG document.

The 359-page document, titled ‘Final Report: Provision of Process Review Services to Abia State Government,’ was said to have flagged financial irregularities under the former governor’s administration.

It was also reported that the state government submitted a copy of the document to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for possible prosecution of those indicted.

But responding in a statement on Sunday, Ikpeazu said the KPMG report was misrepresented.

In the statement, Ikpeazu’s media adviser, Enyinnaya Appolos,  argued that no audit of Abia State’s accounts was carried out; rather, KPMG conducted only a process review.

He said, “What the current administration commissioned was a process review — not a financial audit, not a forensic investigation, and certainly not an indictment.”

According to him,  the document explicitly stated that the assignment was not conducted in the capacity of a statutory auditor, nor was KPMG required to render any opinion on the state’s financial statements.

The document quoted by Appolos was addressed to the Abia State Governor and was sighted by our correspondent on Sunday.

The document, dated March 2, 2024, read in part, “This assignment was not performed by us in the capacity of a statutory auditor. Hence, this is not any form of financial statement audit of ABSG or any entity listed in the report. We are, therefore, not required to render an opinion on the financial statements of ABSG or any entity listed in the report.

“Rather, we have performed the procedures we considered appropriate in the circumstances and in line with the relevant KPMG methodology.

“We were also not required to review the adequacy or otherwise of the output of the prior or current external auditors and/or consultants of ABSG.”

KPMG added that it “did not conduct a trial or inquiry in the course of the assignment, act as a tribunal, commission of inquiry, or in any judicial or quasi-judicial role; perform any adjudicatory function whatsoever; or conduct any exercise aimed at determining whether any person was guilty or innocent of any offence.”

Appolos stressed that “a process review cannot ‘indict’ anyone. It merely evaluates procedural compliance. It cannot make findings of guilt or wrongdoing.”

He also dismissed claims that Ikpeazu diverted N1.9tn, describing it as impossible.

“Abia State under Ikpeazu did not generate or access up to N1tn in total revenue in eight years. How does someone divert what does not exist?” he added.

He noted that the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies had previously reviewed and dismissed as politically-motivated allegations of diversion of N10bn meant for the Abia Airport project.

Appolos noted that since leaving office in 2023, Ikpeazu had never been charged, prosecuted, or invited by any court over corruption allegations.

“Dr Ikpeazu served Abia State diligently for eight uninterrupted years and left office without legal or administrative blemish,” he added.

He also dismissed the notion that Ikpeazu had dumped the PDP for the APC.

Appolos said, “His Excellency Okezie Ikpeazu has never defected to the APC. He remains a card-carrying and loyal member of the PDP.

“Only three weeks ago, he attended the PDP stakeholders’ meeting held on 18 November 2025. Any suggestion that he joined the APC is not only false but easily disproved by public records and party officials.”

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Political parties interested in participating in the 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State have conducted their primaries, and their candidates for the election are expressing a thirst for victory, ABIODUN NEJO writes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, which fixed June 20, 2026, for the Ekiti governorship election, had stipulated that primaries for the determination of candidates should be conducted between October 20 and November 10, 2025. According to the INEC guideline, the personal particulars of the candidates would be published by the electoral umpire on December 29, while the political parties’ opportunity to withdraw candidates and replace them would lapse on January 12, 2026. The electoral body had stated that it would publish the final list of nominated candidates of the participating political parties on January 19, 2026.

For now, the parties and their candidates include the governing All Progressives Congress (Governor Biodun Oyebanji), Peoples Democratic Party (Dr Wole Oluyede), African Democratic Congress (Dare Bejide), and Young Progressives Party (Daramola Owoola). They also include the Social Democratic Party (David Bankole), New Nigeria People’s Party (Mr Blessing Abegunde), Accord (Opeyemi Falegan), and Labour Party (Prof Oyebanji Olajuyin). But pending publication of the final list, whether some candidates will be replaced, the outcome of appeals, and anticipated litigations over the choice of flagbearer in some parties, the candidates who emerged from the primaries are expressing readiness to win the forthcoming election.

APC, Oyebanji

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, a former university teacher and astute politician, emerged as the APC candidate through a consensus process, following the withdrawal from the race and support for him by the second aspirant, Mrs Atinuke Omolayo. Earlier, of the four individuals who obtained APC nomination forms, the party cleared two, Oyebanji and Omolayo, for the primary and disqualified Kayode Ojo and Olajumoke Abimbola. Ojo has since remained tight-lipped, leaving people guessing whether he would challenge the outcome, even as Oyebanji extended an olive branch, expressing readiness to work with him.

On her part, Abimbola said she had taken the party to court, seeking nullification of the process that led to the emergence of the APC candidate, a claim the APC State Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, said could not be proven, as nothing of the sort had been served on anyone. Before the primaries, it is noteworthy that over 300 groups and organisations from within and outside APC endorsed Oyebanji for a second term, citing his performance and achievements across various sectors of the state’s economy.

APC spokesperson, Dipe, who expressed confidence that Oyebanji would win the 2026 governorship election, said, “We are the party to beat, and our candidate is the candidate. Not only the candidate, but also the one who will certainly win the election. Everyone knows it, even the deaf and the blind. Everybody in this state knows that APC will win, and the candidate, who is the incumbent, will be in that seat until 2030, when he will hand over to another candidate from our party.”

PDP, Oluyede

At its primaries, the PDP elected a medical expert, Dr Wole Oluyede, as its candidate. He is a dogged politician who, in 2018, aspired for the APC ticket and flew the flag of ADC in 2022. Oluyede, in the 2015 PDP primaries, defeated three others, Funso Ayeni, Funmi Ogun, and Peter Obafemi. Obafemi stepped down for Oluyede at the event, while Ogun conceded defeat and pledged to work for Oluyede’s victory.

The PDP candidate is seeking unity in the party in the party’s bid to return to the Oke Ayoba Government House through the June 20, 2026, election. He also has his eyes on setting up reconciliation committees at the ward, local government, and state levels to genuinely bring party members together. This follows the deep-seated divisions and bickering that have weakened a party, which had previously produced governors on three occasions in the state.

Oluyede, however, is assured that the PDP has all it takes to defeat the governing APC in the state, urging all party members and Ekiti residents to join him in the path of liberating Ekiti and ensuring the PDP’s victory in the governorship election. He said, “Our party will win the election and form the next government. PDP has a large membership base and strong support. The opponents are already shivering in the face of the unity we are fostering and our determination to win the election.”

However, while the factionalisation in the PDP at the national level has been seen as an albatross, the PDP candidate expressed confidence that it would not affect his victory in the election. Oluyede, who said crises are part of politics, in view of the presence of different tendencies, expressed hope that every crisis would be resolved.

ADC, Bejide

Amb Dare Bejide, a former Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, former Secretary to Ekiti State Government, and pioneer PDP state scribe, won the ADC ticket, having defeated four other aspirants. Bejide gave the assurance he would defeat APC in the 2026 election, citing the present realities in the state as the basis, as he stressed that the current administration in Ekiti State had failed to meet public expectations.

The ADC candidate said, “At the moment, Ekiti State Government is not doing very well for the people, and the people are looking for a change, a change in respect of the provision of infrastructure. So the people are looking for someone who will address their situation, and that is why our position is highly relevant. We are going to win, we are going to run a strong campaign in Ekiti State, and we are going to win,” Bejide said.

ADC State Chairman, Ilesanmi Omolayo, who said the party had begun the process of settling all interests that arose from the primaries, said, “We want to ensure that everybody works together as one family. Already, all the other aspirants are ready to work together with Amb Bejide.” Omolayo, who said ADC is widely spread across the nooks and crannies of the 16 local government areas of the state, expressed confidence that the party would win next year’s election. He said, “We have good people who are on the ground and mobilising. That is part of the chances of winning the election. Ekiti people are tired of APC; they are looking for a way out, and they have already chosen our party as an alternative. We have bright chances to win the election.”

The ADC state chairman, who said the party would disarm all opponents in the election with its manifesto and issue-based campaign, said, “When the time comes, more people will see that we have a good plan for the people. The APC or all these opponents cannot give what they do not have.”

YPP, Owoola

The YPP candidate, Daramola Owoola, a prolific politician and the Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ekiti State, emerged as the party’s flagbearer at a delegates’ congress, with a promise that his party would emerge victorious in the Ekiti governorship election.

Owoola said, “I have been in politics for a very long time, and I have actually studied the terrain before I joined the contest. I know Ekiti people are not in support of the APC and its candidate in the state.

Once people are no longer interested in a party, we need somebody who is formidable from another party. That is why YPP has chosen me.”

The YPP candidate, who said his party was building on its structures to make it more formidable ahead of the election, said, “If you look at the last election, you realise we had spread across the state based on the election result. As I am talking to you, we are building on our structure, and we are having many more people coming to join us. They are coming from the different political parties, including the APC and PDP. They are joining us because they feel aggrieved with how their parties are being run. Look at what is happening in the PDP, look at the way their leaders have treated them in the APC. We are receiving their members. YPP is positioned to win the election in this state. We have a very strong membership base, so our victory is sure,” Owoola said.

SDP, Bankole

For the SDP, a renowned engineer, David Bankole, emerged as the candidate after two other aspirants, Peter Adesina and Adesola Dada, stepped down for him. SDP state chairman, Ayodele Bamikole, said that his party was well-equipped and well-prepared for victory in the June 2026 governorship election.

Bamikole said, “We are well-equipped and well-prepared for the election and victory. That was why we ensured a peaceful primary. We came up with a popular candidate who can challenge the candidates of other political parties. So, we are out there to win the election. We are well-prepared for it.”

The SDP chairman said the party had the necessary strength, including widespread support, to challenge the APC and the incumbent Governor Oyebanji and defeat the party in the forthcoming election. He added, “Politics is a game of numbers. Our party is enjoying popularity. Our candidate has the political clout, and we have our structures in all wards and across the state. So, I think this gives us an advantage to win the election come June 20 next year.”

Accord, Falegan

In the Accord, where philanthropist Opeyemi Falegan was affirmed as the party’s candidate through a consensus arrangement, there is the persuasion that it will form the next government in Ekiti State.

Falegan, who said that he was coming with a bold decision “to liberate Ekiti from the claws of recycled and greedy politicians with policies and programmes centred around transformation and empowerment of Ekiti people,” assured that his people-centric agenda would give Accord victory in the poll.

He promised to provide transformational leadership, formulate policies that would support a transformative agenda, and uphold democratic norms, value-adding acts, and citizen participation.

The Accord candidate lamented that vote-buying in choosing the person to govern the state had far-reaching negative consequences, as he advised that the electorate and party members should be discouraged from such acts. He said efforts would be geared towards stopping vote-buying in the 2026 election to disappoint politicians who could not win free and fair polls, but buy their way through, and he assured that international bodies would be involved in monitoring the election.

Falegan said, “Over time, the Ekiti State political system has witnessed an explosion in vote-buying, which must be discouraged and stopped before the next governorship election in Ekiti.”

Accord National Publicity Secretary, Omorogbe Osa, who commended members in Ekiti State for presenting a credible candidate for the election, called on the people of the state to give Falegan maximum support to win the forthcoming election.

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