It is no longer news that the relationship between Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and one of his predecessors and senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, is not rosy.
NewMailNG understood that the frosty relationship owes its genesis to the build-up to the 2023 general elections.
It was gathered that what really caused the fight between the former two jolly friends was the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ogun East Senatorial Dstrict, which consequently affected APC’s performance in the senatorial district where it was alleged that Daniel worked against the re-election of Abiodun.
In an interview with a national newspaper, Daniel said he fell out with Abiodun, his former friend, because of his unflinching support for President Bola Tinubu in the APC 2023 presidential primary. Daniel traced the roots of his feud with Abiodun to the different choices both of them made in the presidential primary.
The former governor alleged that Abiodun did not campaign for him in the senatorial election, adding that he faced victimisation from the party in Ogun for standing behind Tinubu when the governor led the state chapter of the APC to support former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Speaking further on the 2023 governorship election, which Abiodun won with about 13,000 votes, Daniel attributed this to the low rating of former President Muhammadu Buhari on security and the economy.
“To make the matter worse, my governor had to contest with his brother. As a result, Remo’s nation was divided into two. That was what happened in Ogun East. I thought that the governor should have taken those issues more seriously”, the former governor said.
“The governor cannot tell me that he was not aware of the sentiment in the street, and most, unfortunately, he relied more on sycophants and the fabricated stories they fed him with”.
Reacting to Daniel’s interview, the Ogun East chapter of the APC said the former governor’s interview was an admission of his anti-party activities
The party said, “Rather, the party blames the political differences on the insatiable greed, sly and duplicitous nature of ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel, now representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly, through the grace of God and support of Prince Dapo Abiodun”.
Support for PDP
The party noted that Daniel worked against all candidates of the party in the 2023 elections, it alleged that the erstwhile governor supported the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidates during the elections in Ogun State.
Meanwhile, the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, has denied a statement it reportedly issued on the feud between Abiodun and Daniel. A newspaper had published a story, purportedly signed by the Organising Secretary of the organization, Abagun Kole Omololu, wherein he accused Ogun APC of insulting Daniel.
Afenifere, in a rebuttal letter signed by its Secretary General, Chief Sola Ebiseni, and addressed to the Assistant Publicity Secretary of Ogun APC, said the position of Organizing Secretary was vacant and such letter couldn’t have emanated from the office.
The letter added that even if the office was occupied and functional, it is not part of the obligation of the office to speak for the organization, saying Afenifere, by its principle, neither takes side nor plays to the gallery.
“Further to your letter dated 27th June 2023 in respect of a publication today on the alleged misunderstanding between Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former Governor of Ogun State, and present Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District and His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun, Governor of the State, please be informed that Afenifere is not aware of any such misunderstanding between the two eminent Yoruba personalities” , the group said.
“In the event of such occurrence, which is not unnatural, Afenifere has time-honoured Yoruba modus operandi for result-oriented intervention, part of which is not taking sides or playing to the gallery.
“The statement credited to the Afenifere was not made by the organisation and we are utterly surprised that, by your position, you may not know that the office of the National Organising Secretary of Afenifere is vacant, the last holder thereof having been dismissed and his membership suspended as disciplinary measures for unauthorised and embarrassing public statements, which development the press is also not unaware of.
“Besides, you may also wish to know that it is not part of the functions of the National Organising Secretary to speak for the Afenifere in public communications”.
‘I am not bothered’
Reacting to the attacks on him, Daniel said they don’t bother him, saying, rather the welfare of his constituents remained his topmost priority”.
The former governor said he needed not to respond to the allegations against him, saying he also accepted all the tantrums thrown at him in good faith.
His words: “I am an elder, I have to absorb so much, and I am already accommodating the allegations against me.
“Whatever they said, let us agree it is so, but what is more important is how we can lift our people out of poverty, how they can be free from hunger and pains.
“I am doing that which I have been sent to the Senate to do, we shall do very well, and the good Lord will strengthen me to do more than the people’s expectations.
“I want to assure our people that I am not after anything. God has been benevolent upon me right from my childhood. I am not after anything more than how we can leave the stage better than we met it.
“When I was the governor of Ogun State, we did our best, the people after us also did their best, and so also is the current governor (Prince Dapo Abiodun) is doing all he could; in four years, he will leave the stage for another person, that is how it is, whatever we do will be spoken when we have quit the stage.”