Former Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello has officially joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), ending a 15-year hiatus from active partisan engagement. The daughter of former President Olusegun Obasanjo revealed that her decision was rooted in the consistent personal outreach and support she received from APC members during her time away from the political spotlight.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday, March 6, 2026, Obasanjo-Bello clarified that she had effectively been a free agent since 2011. She dismissed the notion that she was "switching" parties in the traditional sense, noting that she had not been a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for over a decade following her unsuccessful bid for Senate re-election.
The former senator explained that during her years pursuing a PhD and attending a leadership programme at Harvard University, it was the individuals currently within the APC fold who maintained communication with her. She emphasised that these interactions were not initially about political lobbying, but rather about human empathy and personal welfare.
"I have not been involved with the PDP as an active member or even as a member since 2011," Obasanjo-Bello stated during the broadcast. "The people who reached out to me, the people I was talking to, are all in the APC. I don’t think anybody in the current PDP as it is, or the ADC as it’s trying to be, communicated with me or asked, ‘How are you doing?’“
Obasanjo-Bello noted that while the move is a political one, it was finalised based on the care and love shown to her by APC members when she was no longer in a position of power. She characterised the outreach as a simple gesture of "We care about you as a human being", which ultimately fostered a sense of loyalty to the ruling party.
