Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State and current senator representing Ogun East, is once again at the centre of a political storm. A man who has never been far from controversy, Daniel now finds himself locked in a cold war with Governor Dapo Abiodun, a battle that is shaping up to be one of the most defining contests in Ogun politics as the 2027 elections draw closer.
What began as a tactical alliance in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has gradually soured into mistrust and open rivalry.
Abiodun, intent on securing his political future beyond 2027, is believed to be eyeing the Ogun East senatorial seat. But standing firmly in his way is Daniel, a politician with deep roots in the state, a vast political network, and the stubbornness of a man unwilling to be retired.
When Daniel defected to the APC, the move was considered a coup for the ruling party. He brought into the fold a vast political structure built during his two-term governorship (2003–2011), especially in Remoland.
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His arrival gave the APC not only added legitimacy but also the grassroots muscle it desperately needed to counter the influence of the PDP in Ogun East.
The results were telling. In 2023, Daniel cruised to the Senate with relative ease, while Abiodun’s re-election bid nearly collapsed under the weight of stiff opposition from the PDP’s Ladi Adebutu, a long-time ally of Daniel.
Almost immediately, whispers began that Daniel had not thrown his full weight behind Abiodun’s re-election. Some alleged that he quietly encouraged his loyalists to back Adebutu instead.
Those whispers grew louder after a by-election in Remo earlier this year. Once again, Daniel was accused of sitting on the sidelines while the PDP mounted a serious challenge. For Abiodun’s camp, the pattern was unmistakable: Daniel could not be trusted to play the team game.
By late 2023, the disagreements spilled into public view in dramatic fashion.
On September 10 of that year, the Ogun State Government demolished DATKEM Plaza, a five-storey complex in Ijebu-Ode belonging to Daniel’s wife, Olufunke.
This came despite a subsisting court order and ongoing legal appeals. The Daniel camp was livid, describing the act as “executive recklessness” and “a blatant abuse of power.”
Abiodun’s government, however, insisted the building violated several urban planning regulations, including setbacks and permit approvals.
To them, it was not vengeance but enforcement. Few in Ogun believed the explanation.
For many, it was the first major sign that Daniel had become a marked man.Two years later, the confrontation escalated even further.
In 2025, three of Daniel’s properties in Sagamu, the Asoludero Court (his private residence), the Conference Hotel, and its annex, were served with contravention notices, quit orders, and threats of demolition.
His aides immediately called it political persecution, pointing out that the buildings were long-standing structures predating the urban regulations suddenly being applied to them.
Again, the government insisted it was a matter of law. But once more, the timing was suspicious, and Daniel secured a court injunction halting any action. The battles now moved firmly into the legal arena, where both sides have dug in.
Beyond the physical battles over property, Daniel has also faced political pushback.
In August 2025, the Ogun APC announced his suspension over alleged anti-party activities.
Though framed as disciplinary, the decision was widely interpreted as Abiodun’s camp tightening its grip on the party machinery ahead of 2027.
This was not just about discipline. It was about reminding Daniel and everyone else that the governor still controlled the levers of power within the APC.
At the heart of this political storm is Abiodun’s own calculation. As his second term winds down, the governor is keenly aware that he lacks the kind of grassroots machinery that sustains political relevance after office.
Read also: Court orders Gbenga Daniel to submit property documents within two weeks
The Senate, especially the Ogun East seat, has become his natural fallback.
The plan, it seemed, was to unseat Daniel after his first term. After all, Abiodun commands state power, and reclaiming it in 2027 should have been straightforward.
But what the governor underestimated was Daniel’s political stubbornness and his ability to consolidate power.
Daniel, a former governor himself, has deepened his ties within the Senate, projected himself as a strong voice from Ogun, and demonstrated an unwillingness to step aside.
Unlike Abiodun, whose influence is largely tied to his governorship, Daniel has a political base that predates the APC era.
His years as governor saw him build a wide-reaching structure that continues to pay dividends.
His defection from the PDP did not erase these loyalties; instead, it brought them into the APC, giving him a cushion of support that cuts across party lines.
This makes him a formidable player, too entrenched to be easily pushed aside.
For his supporters, the attacks on his properties and his suspension from the party are all signs that the state government is desperate to weaken him before the real battle begins.
What is unfolding in Ogun is not just a clash of egos but a struggle for political survival.
For Abiodun, the Senate is his lifeline after the Government House. For Daniel, it is a seat he has fought for and intends to use as a platform to cement his legacy.
The demolitions, the suspensions, and the courtroom battles are only the opening shots. The real fight will come in 2027, when both men may test their strength on the same political battlefield.
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For Abiodun, the question is whether he can truly command a structure that has never been his.
For Daniel, the challenge is whether he can withstand the machinery of state power and prove that his relevance is not just history, but an enduring force in Ogun politics.
As the months roll by, one thing is clear: the Ogun East senatorial seat is no longer just a ticket to the National Assembly.
It has become the prize in a high-stakes battle between two heavyweights whose futures now depend on who wins and who blinks first.
