Former senator, Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, has declared that she does not require the backing of her father, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to pursue or win elective office as she prepares for a potential governorship run in Ogun State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 Nigerian general election.
Obasanjo-Bello made the remark on Friday during an appearance on Morning Brief on Channels Television, where she explained that her political journey and career decisions are independent of her parents’ influence.
“I don’t need his support. I’m almost 60. I mean I’m 59. I think that at this age, my friends that still have both parents alive are very few, very few.
“So, I consider myself lucky at this age to have both my mother and my father alive. And I don’t think that at this age, I should be consulting them for everything — my career moves,” she said.
She added that while she does not rely on their endorsement, both of her parents would naturally vote for her.
“My father, I know, and my mother will vote for me. That’s all I can ask of them. I don’t even need to ask of them. Even if I didn’t ask, they will vote for me. So my journey in APC is a personal journey for me,” she added.
Responding to questions about her absence from active politics after losing her Senate seat, Obasanjo-Bello said she had not originally planned to contest that election. According to her, she postponed a fellowship at Harvard University for a year after supporters persuaded her to run.
“I wasn’t going to run for that election. When I lost, I saw it as a blessing. I felt the only way I could not get that pressure and continue to do things that I wasn’t comfortable with doing was to just cut myself away so that they will have to find some other politician to follow or do something else,” she said.
She noted that her interest in politics began with the excitement of grassroots campaigning, which she said was an experience she never had while growing up during Nigeria’s military era.
Obasanjo-Bello later served as Commissioner for Health in Ogun State before representing her senatorial district in the National Assembly, roles she described as the foundation for her current governorship ambition.
“Everywhere I go in the state now, somebody comes up to me and says, ‘You did this for me’ — something as simple as, you were when you were commissioner, I was hired, or you hired me. I came to talk to you about something and for a job. You saw my CV. I have a lot of goodwill,” she said.
Speaking on campaign funding, she revealed that part of her resources would come from retirement savings built over decades of working in the United States, much of which had been invested in the American stock market.
“If you look at the US stock market, if you put money into it 30 years ago, it’s more than — I can say controversially—times 10 or something.
“So that multiplier is part of the system. By the time you stay for a long time working and you get closer to retirement, you have a nice nest egg. So that is part of my own funding,” she said, adding that she also expects support from individuals whose opportunities she had helped create in the past.
Asked whether using her savings for a campaign she could lose was risky, she responded, “Then I still have some savings. I still have 15 years of work life left in me and I’ll go back to work.”
On the party’s primary election, she said no aspirant in Ogun State had been guaranteed the APC ticket but expressed confidence in her chances.
“I feel I’m a formidable person to beat because of my track record. I just think I’m a better candidate and more formidable than them. And I’m going to win,” she said.
She also welcomed the increasing participation of women in the governorship race, noting that at least one other female aspirant had declared interest. According to her, the development signals progress for women in Nigerian politics, particularly as the gender reserved seat bill is currently before the National Assembly.
