Ogun APC crisis deepens as elders condemn alleged suspension of Senator Gbenga Daniel and accuse the governor’s camp of sowing disunity
Ogun APC crisis took a fresh turn this week as senior stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State condemned what they described as a “politically motivated attempt” to suspend former governor and serving senator, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
At a world press conference in Abeokuta, the elders dismissed the purported suspension as “a Facebook joke” and “a calculated distraction ahead of the 2027 elections.” They accused the camp of Governor Dapo Abiodun of using government officials to destabilise the party, warning that the rift could cost the APC dearly in future elections.
According to the statement jointly signed by Gen. Olumuyiwa Okunowo (Rtd), Dr. Niyi Osoba, Otunba Korede Okusanya, Princess Ronke Oduneye and other party chieftains, the announcement of Daniel’s suspension through a personal social media account was not only unethical but illegal.
“It is absurd to imagine that a serving senator and former governor of this state would be suspended on Facebook without due process, formal communication, or even a letter of query,” they said. “The so-called suspension has no legitimacy and was never sanctioned by the authentic organs of the party.”
The group alleged that the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Lekan Adeniran, circulated an unsigned statement claiming that Daniel had been suspended for anti-party activities. They questioned the propriety of a government appointee speaking for the party.
“Is it appropriate for a spokesperson of the governor, who is himself an interested party, to speak for APC in a state with an elected chairman and secretary?” the statement queried.
They further linked the controversy to what they described as “early manoeuvres” for the 2027 senatorial race in Ogun East.
Tracing the genesis of the feud, the group recalled that in 2019, the APC in Ogun was on the brink of defeat until Gbenga Daniel, then in the PDP, mobilised his supporters at the request of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to back Dapo Abiodun’s governorship bid. They said the slim margin of victory — just 19,000 votes — reflected Daniel’s decisive role in the contest.
The elders lamented that despite Daniel’s subsequent defection to the APC in 2021, the governor’s camp had allegedly sidelined him and his supporters, a development they said worsened the party’s performance in the 2023 elections.
“In 2023, the APC barely survived, winning with just 13,000 votes. The governor lost in seven out of nine local governments in Ogun East, including his own ward. This is a red flag for 2027,” they warned.
They also alleged intimidation of perceived loyalists of Senator Daniel and victimisation of civil servants who attended his campaign events. “Instead of uniting the house, the government has chosen persecution,” the statement added.
The group cited the 2023 demolition of Datkem Plaza, a property belonging to Senator Daniel’s wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel, as part of a campaign of harassment. “Despite the provocation, OGD has remained silent for peace’s sake, choosing lawful redress in court,” they noted.
On the future of the APC in Ogun State, the leaders called for urgent reconciliation and restructuring of the party’s leadership at all levels.
“The current composition of the party structure is monopolised by one camp. For the APC to survive, power must be shared fairly among stakeholders,” they urged.
They also called on the national leadership of the party to investigate alleged irregularities within the state executive and to protect loyal members from political victimisation.
“The earlier we fix this tear before it becomes a rent, the better for our party. Ogun APC must not be allowed to implode under internal contradictions,” the statement concluded.
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