ARTICLE AD BOX
The former Ogun State governor and current Senator for Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, said on Tuesday that Governor Dapo Abiodun has not been fair to the people of Ijebu land, noting that little has been achieved in the area during the governor’s nearly seven years in office.
Daniel pointed out that, although the state now receives four times the federal allocation it got before the subsidy removal, the outcomes in Ijebu land do not reflect the substantial federal funds now flowing to Ogun State.
He claimed that despite Ijebu land comprising six local governments, Governor Abiodun has consistently refused to back every federal project he facilitated in the region.
Daniel also alleged that the governor has not supported the long‑standing demand for the creation of Ijebu State and has remained silent on this aspiration of the Ijebu people.
He further accused Governor Abiodun of playing a key role in the loss of the multibillion‑naira Dangote Refinery, which was originally slated for Ogun Waterside Local Government in Ijebu land, to Lagos State.
According to Daniel, now that Governor Abiodun intends to run for the Senate after eight years as governor, it is appropriate to examine the impact of his leadership in Ijebu land since taking office in 2019.
Daniel added that, on an equal footing, he would defeat the governor in a fair contest for the 2027 Ogun East Senate party ticket.
The statements were made on Tuesday during the Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Otunba Gbenga Daniel Midterm Assessment and Empowerment tour of Ijebu Ode Local Government, held at the Obalofin Court, the Ijebu Ode GRA private residence of the former governor.
Daniel said, “Since the governor has decided to go to the Senate after his eight years in office, he has the right, but we cannot afford not to begin to ask questions.
“By the time we were leaving office in 2011, we had finished the work on the Dangote Refinery, which was supposed to be in Ijebu land; however, after we left office, the refinery was lost to Lagos.
“I had thought that my successor, Sen Ibikunle Amosun, was the brain behind everything, but after we both reconciled, Sen Amosun told me to ask my brother, that is our governor, how the refinery was lost under his nose, because he was the one who represented Gov Amosun during the negotiation.
“We now begin to ask the governor why he allowed the Ijebus to lose this lifetime opportunity.”
The senator continued, “When I got to the Senate, I was made the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, and we went to work, we said that there is a need to facilitate a naval base in the state. The project is currently ongoing at Abigi, but not with opposition from the governor; we went through hell to get the project started.
“In Ijebu Ode, we don’t have a standard hospital, and I have been able to facilitate the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre in Ijebu Ode, but the project should have witnessed more progress than it has if there had been support from the governor.”
Daniel claimed that Abiodun has done nothing to help the Ijebu people achieve their long‑held dream of creating Ijebu State, stating that “what we even heard the governor was doing is better not said.”
He further noted that the governor has not improved the infrastructure of the Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic in Ijebu Igbo, which was established by his administration, nor the Ijebu Ode International Stadium. Daniel said that fifteen years after he left office, these facilities continue to deteriorate despite the state’s increased allocation.
Daniel said, “We need to thank President Bola Tinubu for increasing the amount of federal allocation going to the state by four times. After Lagos, Rivers and I think Abuja, Ogun is next in terms of state receiving the highest allocation.
“For our eight years, we only had access to 330 billion naira, but the state for this year alone has a budget of 1.6 trillion naira. If we do the math, the N330 billion we received in eight years is what the state now receives every four months, but is there anything to show for it in Ijebu land? Your guess is as good as mine.”
The former governor asserted that he would not be intimidated and that he stands a strong chance of defeating Governor Abiodun in the Ogun East Senate primary elections, provided the contest is not predetermined.
He added, “I am aware of the enormous power of the incumbent, but in a free and fair election, I will certainly defeat the governor overwhelmingly.
“You can see the party members that have turned out for this event, and when you hear what people are saying on the street, then you will know that what we are saying is the truth.”
Daniel urged party members to obtain their membership cards and vote for the aspirant who will not abandon them after the election.
When contacted for comment, the Special Adviser to Governor Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, described Daniel’s statements as “hogwash coming from a sinking and desperate politician.”
Akinmade said, “What do you expect from a desperate politician who had been in the Senate for the past three years, but it has suddenly dawned on him that the end has come to his arrogance, disloyalty and anti‑party activities?”
He asserted that the allegations that Governor Abiodun has done little or nothing in Ijebu land are false, noting that the governor has completed over 29 infrastructural projects in the area.
Akinmade also called it an outright falsehood that the governor has opposed federal projects facilitated by Daniel in the senatorial district, stating that the former governor has always refused to follow due process and has tried to position himself as the government.
He asked, “Why have other senators like Yayi and Salisu been going about their projects without any fuss, but Sen Daniel is always running away from doing the right thing, thinking that because he is a former governor, he can do as he wishes?”
The media aide added that Abiodun is not responsible for the loss of the Dangote Refinery to Lagos State, and that any claim to the contrary is a fabricated lie that should be ignored.
Akinmade said, “We are all in the state when Dangote said that it was Amosun that sent him packing to Lagos, that the former governor demolished his factory and that he has come back to the state because Gov Abiodun has provided an enabling environment.
“How can Sen Daniel now turn around to say that Sen Amosun who sent him away from the state for eight years told him what never happened, it is unfortunate and disappointing.
“Anyway, having known that Sen Daniel is not a loyal party man, not a politician to be trusted given his anti‑party activities during the 2023 gubernatorial election, the Ogun East APC stakeholders in a meeting held on Tuesday at Ijebu Ode have endorsed Gov Abiodun as the consensus candidate for Ogun East Senate, so Daniel can continue to nurse his loss.”
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