The political battle in Ogun State has reached boiling point as Governor Dapo Abiodun moves against his predecessor, Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel, in what Daniel’s camp is calling a “brazen and shameless abuse of power.”
In a dramatic twist late Friday afternoon, August 8, agents allegedly acting on the governor’s orders swooped on Daniel’s sprawling Asoludero Court residence, the multi-billion-naira Conference Hotel in Sagamu, and its Annex—pasting contravention, quit, and demolition notices on all three properties at once.
The government claims the buildings violate provisions of the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022. But Daniel’s team says the accusations are absurd, pointing out that the properties were legally built years before the law even existed—Asoludero Court in 2004, Conference Hotel in 2013, and the Annex in 2015.
“This is not governance; it’s political gangsterism,” declared Steve Oliyide of the OGD Media Office. “Abiodun is weaponizing the law to destroy an opponent, trampling on due process, and using intimidation in place of justice.”
The fiery statement draws parallels to the notorious midnight demolition of DATKEM Plaza in Ijebu Ode—owned by Daniel’s wife—in September 2023, carried out under the cover of darkness on what critics described as “flimsy excuses.” That case is still in court, with the state government suffering repeated legal defeats.
Political watchers say the latest action signals a dangerous escalation in Ogun’s political wars, raising fears of a descent into open hostility ahead of the next election cycle.
As at press time, the Ogun State Government had not commented on the allegations, but tension in the state’s political circles is at an all-time high.
No comments:
Post a Comment