Politics
Details: Gbenga Daniel Shifts Tactics In Fight With Dapo Abiodun
“It is a sleuth move by a thoroughbred politician
Senator Gbenga Daniel has changed tactics in his political tussle with Governor Dapo Abiodun, his fellow chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former Ogun State governor has cleverly fused his re-election bid with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term push under a new structure he christened the BATOGD Movement—a combination of Tinubu’s famous acronym, BAT, and his own, OGD.
With all his political activities now carried out under this banner, Daniel has effectively positioned any attack on him as an attack on Tinubu’s ambition.
“It is a sleuth move by a thoroughbred politician, and Abiodun unwittingly fell prey before realising it was an adept snare,” a source noted.
The first test came with the Paddy-Arikawe Oye Igbimo Road project, facilitated by Daniel, approved by Tinubu, but halted by the Ogun State Government. Daniel’s camp quickly pushed a narrative that cast Abiodun against the President’s interest, recalling pre-2023 election controversies the governor is eager to bury. The backlash forced the state government into swift damage control.
Daniel then unveiled the second part of his strategy: going on the offensive against Abiodun’s performance. He questioned the governor’s record despite the unprecedented federal allocations to states under Tinubu, courtesy of fuel subsidy removal.
Observers say this two-pronged strategy serves Daniel well. On one hand, it forces a debate on Abiodun’s stewardship. On the other, it tempts the governor into confronting the BATOGD Movement—a trap, since any attack on the platform is easily framed as opposition to Tinubu’s re-election, a risky position inside the APC.
At the heart of the feud is the Ogun East Senatorial seat. Daniel, the incumbent, wants to retain it, while Abiodun eyes the position as part of his succession calculations.
The rivalry has spilled into other areas, with Daniel’s camp accusing the state government of targeting properties linked to him and his wife, Olufunke—allegations the government has consistently denied.
Now, with his latest tactics, Daniel appears to have boxed Abiodun into a corner: unable to strike without seeming to undermine Tinubu, while the Senator consolidates influence ahead of 2027 under the guise of loyalty to the President.
