Daniel Responds To Claims By Abiodun Amid Ogun East Senate Battle

Former Ogun State governor and incumbent senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has publicly responded to claims allegedly made by Governor Dapo Abiodun, laying bare years of political grievances while framing the latest disagreement against the backdrop of an intensifying struggle over the Ogun East Senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of 2027.

The political tension between the two prominent Ogun politicians is widely seen by observers as being tied to the battle over who secures the APC’s Ogun East senatorial ticket in the next election cycle. 

Daniel, currently occupying the seat, is working.towards a second term in the Senate, while Governor Abiodun is positioning to contest for the same seat after completing his constitutionally permitted two terms as governor in 2027.

Against this backdrop, Daniel broke what he described as years of “stoic silence,” saying he could no longer ignore what he called false narratives.

In a statement responding to a video recording by Governor Abiodun, Daniel said he had remained silent out of respect for the office of governor and the broader interest of Ogun State, but decided to speak “to set the record straight.”

According to him, Abiodun’s narrative was “riddled with mischief and outright falsehoods.”

Daniel revisited the 2002 Peoples Democratic Party governorship primaries, presenting it as the foundation of their political rivalry.

He recalled that during the primaries, Abiodun allegedly led opposition against him on identity grounds.

“PDA (Prince Dapo Abiodun)had led a coalition of the other contestants, arguing that I was not a ‘pure Remo’ man but an Ijebu man,” Daniel disclosed.

He said the strategy was to prevent him from reaching the required 51 percent threshold and force a rerun, but he secured a decisive victory instead.

“With 178 out of 250 votes, I secured over 70% and was duly declared winner,” the Senator said.

Daniel firmly rejected claims that Abiodun handed over any political structure to him, insisting that the real support base came from the camp of the late Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye.

“PDA did not hand over any political structure to me; in fact, I doubt he had any structure to hand over,” Daniel insisted. 

He named several figures he said were integrated into his government from allied political blocs, including Lekan Mustapha, Sarafa Tunji Ishola, and Segun Adekoya.

Daniel also said that after the primaries, while others accepted the outcome, “PDA disappeared to Abuja.”

Despite their rivalry, Daniel claimed he still accommodated Abiodun politically, including appointing him to oversee the Olokola Free Trade Zone project.

“When the opportunity arose, I appointed PDA to oversee our Olokola Free Trade Zone initiative,” he asserted.

He also referenced the controversial loss of the Dangote Refinery project, saying, “The full story of how we lost the Dangote Refinery to Lagos will be told someday if necessary.”

On the 2003 elections and years after, Daniel suggested that old political wounds never healed, alleging that bitterness from the 2002 contest persisted.

“It is clear that the bitterness from the 2002 primaries never truly subsided,” he further declared.

Daniel’s account of 2015 was equally revealing.

He alleged that despite moves to undermine his senatorial ambition, including claims that Buruji Kashamu was influenced against him, he still supported Abiodun’s senatorial bid.

“I immediately called them to support him,” Daniel said, referring to his loyalists, adding “Despite this, I supported PDA. However, he lost the election to Kashamu because my God is not asleep.”

Turning to the 2019 governorship race, Daniel disclosed that he supported Abiodun largely at the request of top APC figures, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“At the request of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu… I supported PDA,” he stated.

Daniel noted that Abiodun won by about 19,000 votes, which he described as the narrowest margin in Ogun State’s electoral history.

“He won narrowly by about 19,000 votes, the smallest margin in Ogun State history,” Daniel asserted, adding that Abiodun lost Ogun West and Ogun Central.

“Without the intervention of some of us, the outcome might have been different,” the Senator insisted.

He also narrated how relations allegedly deteriorated after Abiodun assumed office in 2019.

Daniel described what he called an embarrassing seating incident at the governor’s inauguration and said disputes later emerged over his business assets, including Gateway Hotel Abeokuta and other properties.

“PDA later accused me publicly of taking over my own property without his permission,” he claimed.

And, further alleged that Certificates of Occupancy linked to his assets remain withheld, while his wife’s DATKEM Plaza in Ijebu Ode was demolished.

On his movement into the APC, Daniel dismissed suggestions that Abiodun facilitated it.

“Contrary to claims, PDA had no role in my joining the APC,” he said, naming Mai Mala Buni, John Oyegun, Rotimi Akeredolu, Nasir el-Rufai, and Bola Tinubu as key figures who encouraged him.

Daniel also referenced his EFCC trial, clarifying that he did not directly hold Abiodun responsible, though he suggested political pressure may have shaped his early judicial experience in Ogun State.

“I was eventually discharged and acquitted by the Court of Appeal in Ibadan,” he said,.emphasizing “The judges ruled unanimously that I should never have been tried in the first place.”

For now, Daniel says he is stopping short of further revelations, but he left open the possibility of more public disclosures as political tensions rise.

“I will pause here for now. If necessary, I will respond further,” he said.

With Ogun East’s 2027 senatorial contest already casting a shadow over current political alignments, Daniel’s detailed rebuttal has deepened talks that the old rivalry between him and Abiodun is evolving into a full-scale succession battle — one that could shape not only Ogun East, but Ogun State’s broader political future.