𝐀𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐧, 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐥 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐮𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡-𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

The rift between Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and former Governor Gbenga Daniel deepened on Sunday as Daniel accused the governor of intolerance, exclusionary leadership and orchestrating a political witch-hunt.

Daniel, during a Midterm Assessment Tour of Ogun East, said Abiodun was running a “three-man closed government” where dissenting voices were allegedly sidelined, threatened or punished. He claimed that since 2019, governance in the state had catered only to a select inner circle while critics, including traditional rulers, teachers and community leaders, faced intimidation for offering contrary opinions.

He said threats of sack, demolition orders and harassment had become tools against individuals who interacted with those perceived to oppose the administration. Describing the situation as “a cult run with dictatorial instincts,” Daniel said Ogun’s commonwealth was being treated like a personal estate.

However, Governor Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, dismissed Daniel’s claims as baseless, insisting the former governor was attempting to evade answering to anti-party allegations levelled against him by his ward in Sagamu. Akinmade questioned why Daniel failed to appear before the ward’s investigation panel but chose the media to defend himself.

Akinmade said the state government was not against developmental projects but Daniel must follow due process, noting that other senators such as Solomon Adeola and Shuaib Salisu complied with regulations. He accused Daniel of being the intolerant one, referencing how he allegedly treated lawmakers during his time as governor.

Daniel maintained that his challenge with Abiodun began when he attempted to offer private counsel on governance issues, adding that such counsel only earned him ostracisation and removal from party activities. He insisted he had no record of anti-party activities and accused the governor of engineering his suspension from the Ogun APC to silence dissent.

The former governor also alleged that Abiodun’s administration was frustrating constituency projects he facilitated, including work on the Itanrin and General Hospital roads, through repeated stop-work orders. He warned that if the stoppage continued beyond December 2025, the projects risked losing federal funding.

He listed additional interventions—motorised boreholes, solar streetlights, free eye surgeries for over 4,000 residents and a bill for a Federal Medical Centre in Ijebu Ode—claiming these were also being undermined. Daniel urged traditional rulers to intervene to prevent further halt orders that could shortchange Ogun East residents.

Daniel thanked President Bola Tinubu and the APC National Working Committee for affirming his membership status, citing a letter from National Secretary Ajibola Basiru. He said he was ready to defend his innocence before any legitimate panel.

Despite this, APC leaders in Ward 4, Sabo, Sagamu insisted Daniel’s suspension stood, arguing that the NWC could not override disciplinary decisions taken at ward, local government or state levels, especially after Daniel allegedly refused several invitations to defend himself.