Ogun East: Between Gbenga Daniel and Dapo Abiodun

Seyi Bakare

This week, political watchers paid close attention as the senator representing Ogun East in the National Assembly, Chief Gbenga Daniel, purchased nomination forms at the All Progressives Congress (APC) national headquarters in Abuja.

Said the senator: “Today, I picked up my nomination and expression of interest forms as I seek to return to the Nigerian Senate, continuing my efforts to provide effective and responsive representation for the people of Ogun East Senatorial District under the platform of the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.”

This was because, only a few days earlier, party leaders and key stakeholders in Ogun East Senatorial District, the district that Daniel currently represents in the Red Chamber, had openly and enthusiastically endorsed the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, for the same position, and the ruling party’s law allows state chapters to adopt such a consensus arrangement if they so wish. Already, that arrangement has produced the APC governorship candidate for the 2027 election in the state.

The 2027 Ogun East senatorial race promises to provide political drama, in large part because the two contenders are former friends turned foes. When Daniel had the privilege of becoming the Governor of Ogun State between 2003 and 2011, it was Abiodun that he had faced in a keenly contested primary. At the time, Daniel was moving from the then ruling party in the state, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) to battle it out with Abiodun in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which Abiodun was a founding member in the state.

Although Abiodun was one of the leading figures of PDP at the time, certain forces within the party favoured Daniel, and he went on to win the primary. And immediately Daniel won, Abiodun reportedly collapsed his structures into Daniel’s campaign team, donated his offices, and provided substantial financial resources for the election. In the eight years that Daniel held sway, Abiodun reportedly never approached the government to ask for any support.

Daniel’s reign in Ogun State was, however, not stellar. Among other drawbacks, it was characterised by in-fighting between the executive and the legislature.

Given the crisis that engulfed Ogun State at the time, it seemed inevitable that Daniel would not produce a successor. Given the factionalisation of his party, the PDP, Daniel allegedly floated another party, the PPN and sponsored a candidate, but it was Ibikunle Amosun, an opposition candidate, who won the race to the Oke Mosan Government House.

During the 2019 general election, though, Daniel received some political revival as he was appointed DG of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign organisation under PDP. But he began to sing a different tune immediately Atiku lost the election. The leadership of the APC got in touch with him and declared that for him to remain relevant in the next dispensation , he had to align himself with the ruling party, the APC. That was how he came to join the APC about three days to Abiodun’s governorship election, which the latter APC won.

During the 2019 governorship election, Abiodun did not perform well in Daniel’s territory. At the time, the House of Assembly ticket was won by the APM, the party being sponsored by former Governor Ibikunle Amosun. According to political watchers, Abiodun never bothered about this development, and actually even made excuses for his long-term friend. He would in fact go on to fulfill all the promises he made to Daniel: getting his hotel and other property back, free access to the state, and the payment of all his withheld allowances as a former governor. And shortly after Daniel was stabilised, Abiodun reportedly incorporated some of his (Daniel’s) lieutenants into his government, forming a government of coalition for unity and peace in the state. Suddenly, Daniel, a dead commodity in the Amosun years, bounced back into political reckoning.

But there was more to come. The then Senator representing Ogun East, Lekan Mustapha, was one of the leading contenders for the senatorial race, but  Abiodun and the late Awujale of Ijebuland pleaded with them to step down for Daniel, arguing that a former governor of the state should not be disgraced. Daniel got the ticket. His political revival was complete. But this was where the crisis between the duo set in. No sooner had Daniel got the ticket than he started working against the government.

Daniel today faces the prospect of karma, as he faces his beneficiary in the Ogun East 2027 race. Many have accused him of smearing the governor in the media space, calling media editors and giving them false information to assassinate his character.

Daniel was in fact said to have been invited to the meeting where Abiodun’s consensus candidacies was announced, but he reportedly came to the venue with three fully loaded coaster buses. This, party leaders were said to have rebuffed, insisting that only Daniel could enter the meeting, which was strictly for delegates. Party insiders said Daniel immediately began addressing his prearranged media people on video, condemning the action.

According to an APC source, “All major stakeholders, from ward to local government, to state, were there. But as usual, he’s always seen himself above party leadership. That’s why, even within the last three years, he has not integrated his supporters into the APC structure in the state. He has never had a relationship with them; he has only carried on with his Gateway foundation.”

 It is expected that before the end of next month, the people of Ogun East will speak loudly about who they believe we will give them quality representation. In this regard, many believe that Daniel’s acts of sabotage and subversion have already ruled him out of the race, and may return him to the oblivion of the Amosun years.

Bakare, a political analyst, sent this through seyibakr@aol.com