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*PRESS RELEASE OGD MEDIA OFFICE
April 29, 2026
The OGD Press Office has been inundated with requests for response to claims made by the outgoing governor, Dapo Abiodun, in a private meeting in Iperu.
It is instructive that Governor Dapo Abiodun chose a closed meeting at his home to air claims that, by his own admission, he has never dared to make publicly. Fiction-based statements circulate better in rooms where they cannot be immediately questioned.
For the record, however, two major claims have been made: first, that Mr Abiodun, as he then was in 2003, witnessed and brought down his structure in support of the emergence of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as governor of Ogun State; and secondly, that Governor Dapo Abiodun was instrumental in the emergence of Otunba Gbenga Daniel as a Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in 2023, twenty years later.
*First, the story of 2003.*
It is true that Dapo Abiodun contested the PDP primaries between 2001 and 2003, in which Otunba Daniel emerged as the party’s candidate. It is also known that among the eight aspirants at the time, Mr Abiodun’s campaign was the most “fierce” against Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
After the contest on 23 December 2002, which was widely judged to be free and fair, OGD was returned as the party’s candidate by a decisive margin of delegate votes. He immediately engaged all his co-aspirants, including Prince Emma Shoda, Omoba Doyin Okupe, Prince Yemi Adefulu and later Dapo Abiodun, in that order, with a “No Victor, No Vanquished” mentality.
It must also be reiterated that Dapo Abiodun was the last to join this collaborative handshake, reportedly because he was worried about forced catch-up efforts by supporters and delegates who he suspected were not voting for him. Those who did not return the items and funds in their custody were, according to several accounts, duly “punished” in what has become his signature style.
It is equally well known that Otunba Daniel led an inclusive government and appointed Dapo Abiodun as the pioneer chairman of the newly formed Gateway Oil & Gas Committee, which contributed to the creation of the state-owned oil and gas limited liability company. Prince Wemmy Osude served as CEO.
It should also not be forgotten that Mr Dapo Abiodun sadly lost to Senator Buruji Kashamu of the PDP in the 2015 Ogun East Senatorial District election. So much for the strength of that “structure”.
In 2019, however, Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s support was widely recognized. The governorship election was, by all indications, a defeat for Mr Abiodun due to bitter internal disputes at the time within the All Progressives Congress. The party structure was firmly under the control of the then governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, whose preferred candidate was widely seen as on his way to victory.
At that critical juncture, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, then PDP leader, was approached to support Mr Abiodun. He heeded the call, placing the future and development of Ogun State above partisan considerations, especially as the PDP itself was trapped in a debilitating legal crisis over its governorship bid. The OGD not only mobilized its political structure in support of Abiodun, but also publicly raised its hand in a symbolic show of acceptance in front of thousands of supporters and members of the media.
*On the 2023 senatorial elections*
The events leading up to the 2023 senatorial contest are well documented. It must be clearly stated that Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel won the Ogun East senatorial election on the strength of his name, his legacy and the enormous support and goodwill of his people. He remains one of the most important political figures Ogun State has ever produced.
The idea that his appearance as a senator was the product of Governor Abiodun’s behind-the-scenes choreography is not only false, but an insult to every voter of Ogun East Senatorial District who participated in that election.
Governor Abiodun says he has persuaded frontrunners to resign. The album tells a different story. By the time such an “intervention” supposedly occurred, the primaries were already close to over. There were no more leaders to persuade, only an outcome to accept. A man who comes after the contest to claim credit for its outcome is not a kingmaker; he is a latecomer trying to rewrite history.
It is instructive to note that after emerging as the APC candidate, Otunba Daniel visited all 103 wards of Ogun East Senatorial District and held 13 local government rallies in the nine LGAs. Governor Dapo Abiodun, despite his declarations of support, did not participate in any of these electoral programmes. We stand ready to be corrected with verifiable evidence to the contrary.
More significant is what happened before the official flag of the OGD senatorial campaign and empowerment program held at Ita Oba Akarigbo, Sagamu, on October 2, 2022. Governor Abiodun, his commissioners and members of his administration were duly invited. However, belated instructions were reportedly issued on October 1 directing government officials and APC members to stay away. Some public officials present were subsequently asked questions about their participation in what was clearly a political event held on a Sunday. What kind of support could have come from a governor elected on the same party platform?
*On structure and mandate*
We now ask the Governor directly: what structure did he hand over to Senator Daniel? The same structure that failed to deliver results even in its own constituency and its own electoral unit just two weeks after the presidential elections, despite all the weight of the state machinery?
Senator Daniel’s victory in the 2023 general elections is unprecedented in the senatorial history of Ogun State. The margin was historic, the mandate unequivocal. According to INEC records, it remains one of the very few senatorial results in the state that has not been challenged by the electoral tribunal. Not even a petition. No controversy. People spoke with unmistakable clarity.
For three years, Governor Abiodun allegedly used the state machinery to intimidate party leaders and systematically oust Senator Daniel from the party. These efforts have failed because Senator Daniel’s political roots in Ogun State run deeper than the temporary influence of any sitting governor.
Senator Daniel’s mandate was won in broad daylight, in front of the people and at the ballot box. Why, then, is Governor Abiodun seemingly uncomfortable with open competition, despite having the advantage of incumbency and access to state resources?
Thus far, the Governor has relied on backroom deals, forced consensus, and closed-door maneuvering to advance his political ambitions. A man truly confident in his structure does not need such tactics.
Senator Daniel, after serving two full terms as governor, has built institutions, infrastructure, and a political legacy independent of cronyism. His Senate mandate requires no retroactive approval.
Governor Abiodun’s reference to “negative media attacks” is a familiar deflection. When governance falters, control is often reframed as persecution. The Governor would be better off addressing the substance of public concerns rather than attributing every critical report to political opponents.
If there is anyone who needs to do some soul-searching, Governor Dapo Abiodun need only look in the mirror.
