Politics
Why Efforts To Reconcile Gbenga Daniel, Dapo Abiodun Are Intensifying
has become a matter of grave concern
The political temperature in Ogun State continues draw attention as stakeholders intensify efforts to reconcile two of its most influential figures — Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator Gbenga Daniel.
At the heart of this intervention, according to top-level party insiders, is a clear directive from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) must approach the 2027 elections as a united front across all states.
For Tinubu, who is preparing for a re-election bid, the stakes could not be higher.
Beyond merely retaining control of existing APC states, the President is determined to expand the party’s dominance nationwide. But among all, Ogun State holds special significance for him.
“Ogun is not just another APC state. It is symbolic in the rise of the President and shares a border with his primary political base, Lagos,” a party source explained.
Indeed, Ogun was the very soil where Tinubu coined the now-famous “Emilokan” (“It is my turn”) mantra — a rallying cry that gave his ambition identity and momentum on the road to his 2023 victory.
This symbolism is partly why the festering feud between Governor Abiodun and Senator Daniel has become a matter of grave concern at the highest levels of the party. The clash between the two Ogun powerbrokers, stakeholders warn, threatens to erode the unity Tinubu so much needs ahead of 2027.
But the quarrel is not without context. Both men have their eyes set on the same prize: the Ogun East Senatorial seat. Daniel, a two-term former governor with deep grassroots appeal, is the current occupant. Abiodun, whose tenure as governor ends in 2027, is determined to succeed him, seeing the Senate seat as the perfect platform to cement his political relevance beyond his governorship.
So far, neither man appears ready to back down. “Although they remain dogged in their stance, peace-makers are working tirelessly to get them to shift ground for the higher good of the party and the President,” one insider disclosed.
According to sources, one of the strategies being explored is dangling a ministerial position as compensation — an offer designed to ensure that at least one of the two gladiators softens his position.
Still, it remains uncertain which of the political heavyweights will yield first. What is clear, however, is that the resolution of the Abiodun-Daniel faceoff is now central to the APC’s broader strategy in and out of the state — and ultimately, to President Tinubu’s own political survival in 2027.
