The political feud between Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor, Gbenga Daniel, has intensified as both camps traded fresh claims over political loyalty ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Abiodun on Thursday accused Daniel of drifting from the mainstream of the All Progressives Congress while allegedly backing the Peoples Democratic Party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu.
Daniel’s loyalists rejected the claim, insisting that the former governor’s political family remained firmly behind him and that those who recently met with Abiodun did not represent the wider group.
Abiodun made the accusation while receiving members of Daniel’s political family and the late Buruji Kashamu’s political group into the APC mainstream in Abeokuta.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, the governor said he had been advised against supporting Daniel’s bid for the Ogun East Senate seat in 2023 because of concerns that the former governor could eventually turn against him.
Abiodun said he nevertheless supported Daniel because of his respect for him as a former governor and his belief that political disagreements should not diminish the respect owed to former occupants of the office.
“I just decided that we should honour him because one day, I will also become a former governor,” he said.
The governor also revisited political developments surrounding the 2023 election, accusing Daniel of expressing uncertainty over who would emerge as Ogun governor despite one of the contenders belonging to his political party.
“Now the gloves are off. He is the same person that we heard in an audio saying he had taken someone to court,” Abiodun said.
He also cited the recent gathering involving the Gateway Front Foundation, where Adebutu was present, as evidence that Daniel appeared to be operating outside the APC mainstream.
Abiodun said his relationship with Daniel had been shaped by respect for the office of governor and the responsibilities associated with being a former governor.
“You know OGD is my leader because he was governor before me. I joined Ogun State politics way before him. Without a doubt, I was a senator-elect in the state in 1996/1997,” he said.
He added that political power should be exercised responsibly and not treated as a personal entitlement.
“You don’t begin to act as if you are God. You don’t begin to play as if you are an emperor. God gives us power and looks at how we use it,” Abiodun said.
At the meeting, the governor welcomed the groups’ decision to align with the APC, saying political actors with shared interests should work together rather than support different parties during an election year.
He assured the new entrants that they would not regret their decision and pledged continued efforts to promote unity and cohesion within the party.
Abiodun also said major announcements concerning Ogun’s anticipated emergence as an oil-producing state and the proposed deep-sea port would be made before the end of the year.
The governor’s Senior Consultant on Political Matters, Tunde Adesanya, said the delegation had come to reaffirm its loyalty to the APC and Abiodun.
Adesanya, a former Daniel coordinator in Odogbolu Local Government, said the group had decided to fully identify with the APC mainstream.
Another member of the group, Oladipupo Owoduni, said the meeting brought together stakeholders committed to the APC, Abiodun and the party’s candidates.
Owoduni rejected claims that members of the group would support candidates from other parties, saying their loyalty remained with the APC.
He said the group had launched the “Operation 5 Direct” mobilisation programme to support President Bola Tinubu, Abiodun’s senatorial bid, Solomon Adeola’s governorship campaign and APC candidates for the National and state assemblies in Ogun East.
Daniel’s Loyalists Reject Abiodun’s Claim
The OGD Loyal Coordinators Forum, however, dismissed the suggestion that Daniel’s political family had abandoned him.
In a statement signed by Kolade Segun-Okeowo, Yekeen Adesanya and Jide Onadeko, the forum said those who met with Abiodun had acted in their individual capacities and did not have the mandate to speak for Daniel’s wider political structure.
“They did so without the mandate, consultation, or approval of the larger OGD political family across Ogun East and beyond and do not speak for us, and their decision cannot be interpreted as the position of OGD loyalists,” the forum said.
The group said its loyalty to Daniel remained unchanged and rejected what it described as attempts to misrepresent the position of the former governor’s political family.
“We are prepared to stay with him and to continue working with him to strengthen our party, the APC, and to deliver democratic dividends to the people of Ogun East and Ogun State,” it said.
The forum added, “The OGD movement is intact, organised, and focused.”
It urged party members and the public to disregard claims that Daniel’s loyalists had collectively abandoned him.
Daniel’s media aide, Steve Oliyide, also disputed Abiodun’s description of the Gateway Front Foundation event as a relaunch.
Oliyide said it was a reunion of old and new members of the foundation, which was established by Daniel, to plan activities for its 25th anniversary.
“There was no ‘relaunch’ of the Foundation yet, but a reunion of old and new members of the Gateway Front Foundation to plan for its 25th anniversary,” Oliyide said.
He added that Adebutu was an old member of the foundation and questioned why he should have been excluded from an event because of his political ambition.
Daniel’s media office had earlier denied that the former governor was responsible for a purportedly leaked audio circulating online, describing the recording as manipulated and doctored.
The office said it had invited law enforcement agencies to investigate the source and dissemination of the recording and instructed its legal team to pursue civil and criminal remedies against those responsible.
Senate Ticket Fuels Rift
The political relationship between Abiodun and Daniel has been strained, particularly over the 2027 Ogun East Senate ticket.
Daniel, who currently represents the senatorial district, is seeking another term, while Abiodun, whose second tenure as governor ends in May 2027, is also seeking the seat.
The APC subsequently adopted Abiodun as its 2027 consensus candidate, and he was later declared the winner of the party’s senatorial primary.
The dispute has now widened beyond the Senate race, with competing claims over political alliances and control of the APC structure in Ogun East ahead of the 2027 elections.
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