Ogun Senate Ticket: Daniel’s Camp Dares Abiodun to Face Primary

The political camp of former Ogun State Governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has dared Governor Dapo Abiodun to test his popularity by facing the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary ahead of the 2027 election in the zone.

Daniel’s men also flagged Monday’s endorsement of Abiodun by some APC leaders in Ogun East as “kangaroo and a rape of democracy.”

It was gathered that there has been a simmering rift and bitter rivalry between Daniel and Abiodun over the 2027 senatorial ticket of Ogun East.

While Daniel is seeking the party’s ticket to enable him run for a second term, Abiodun, whose tenure elapses in 2027, is also eyeing the Red Chamber seat.

The development has torn the two friends apart, with Daniel alleging that the governor’s political ambition was behind the persecution he has faced under Abiodun’s administration over the past two years—an allegation already denied by the government.

The political rivalry assumed a fresh twist on Monday when Daniel was reportedly blocked from gaining access to the venue of the APC caucus meeting of the zone.

The meeting was held at Adeola Odutola Hall, Ijebu-Ode, on Monday.

Some clips circulating on social media showed that the convoy of Senator Daniel, who is currently representing the district, was blocked from entering the venue.

Daniel later addressed his supporters and left the venue.

“We are here for our caucus meeting, and I got here by 10 a.m. They said we should not enter the venue in Ijebu-Ode.

“Therefore, if they do anything here today without my presence, it is an exercise in futility. So, their actions will amount to self-deceit.”

At the end of the meeting, Abiodun was adopted as the consensus candidate.

Speaking on behalf of stakeholders, former Ogun East senator, Lekan Mustapha, said the decision was driven by a shared conviction that Abiodun possesses the capacity to represent the district effectively at the Senate.

According to him, party leaders would formally communicate the endorsement to the governor, including a commitment to purchase his nomination forms for the 2027 election.

“We will put a body together to deliver this message to our Governor that he has been adopted as the consensus candidate,” Mustapha said.

But Daniel’s political camp, under the aegis of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Otunba Gbenga Daniel (BATOGD) Movement, at a press conference on Thursday in Sagamu, dismissed the endorsement.

The Deputy Director-General of BATOGD, Otunba Tayo Onayemi, maintained that the party’s constitution recognises only procedures such as consensus backed by a written consent of all aspirants or direct primaries.

He argued that any endorsement outside those provisions remains invalid and unacceptable.

“There is nothing like endorsement in the Electoral Act recently signed into law by the President. What we have is consensus by agreement or direct primaries; anything short of this is null and void.

“As far as Sen. Gbenga Daniel is concerned, he is a principled party man who will always abide by the rules and ethics of the party.

“We are confident that the APC, as a disciplined party, will uphold its rules and ensure justice is done,” he said.

Also speaking, Akogun Kola Onadipe challenged the governor to face the APC primary in the senatorial race to test his popularity.

“Now, it’s beginning to dawn, even on the national leadership of the party, that why should there be this desperation? If somebody is popular, you are popular… If you want to test your popularity, why don’t you go to the primary?

“So, if you do your own consensus, and your consensus says they have appointed you, why are you stopping others in terms of the constitutional provision of the party position that is important? So, that is the point. A necessary petition will go to the right place.”

Earlier, the Director-General of BATOGD, General Olumuyiwa Okunowo (rtd), condemned what he described as a “siege” on the Ijebu-Ode residence of Senator Daniel by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force on Wednesday.

He expressed shock over the deployment of what they called “armoured vehicles and detachments of security forces in their hundreds” to the area.

“We are deeply surprised by this turn of events, as we see no reason to warrant such heavy deployment,” the group stated.

He linked the development to alleged misinformation, claiming that the Chairman of Ijebu-Ode Local Government misled security agencies into believing that a political meeting was to be held at the residence.

“Our preliminary investigations revealed that false narratives were presented to the police, leading to the cordoning off of the entire street,” he alleged. “This reminds us of the unfortunate days of the military junta… We do not think this can happen in Ogun State.”