The Ogun State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of embarking on a personal vendetta after the state government’s decision to demolish the house and hotel of the former governor of the state, Gbenga Daniel.
The party recently revealed that the discord between Dapo and Gbenga is because of their 2027 Senatorial ambitions.
According to the PDP, while Gbenga, who is representing Ogun East in the Senate, is prepared to seek re-election in two years’ time, Governor Abiodun is also interested in the seat after his second term expires in 2027.
The Special Adviser to Abiodun on Media and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, has since urged the PDP to concentrate on its internal crisis and stop meddling in issues that concern the state.
He concluded by saying that government policies are always guided by law and public interest, not partisan politics.
Recall that OGD recently announced that Governor Abiodun ordered the demolition of his Sagamu private residence, The Asoludero Court, Conference Hotels Limited, as well as the hotel annex in Sagamu.
Speaking via a press statement signed by his media aide, Steve Oliyide, Otunba Gbenga Daniel disclosed that the governor’s order was conveyed in notices of contravention, quit, and threat of demolition within the next three days, which were pasted on the properties on Friday, August 8, at about 4 p.m.
Describing the allegation levelled against him as laughable, OGD stressed that Abiodun’s witch-hunt is a clear abuse of power.
“The documents concerning these properties cite ‘suspected’ offences related to construction without adequate permits (which is laughable). This is a ludicrous and flimsy excuse, as the properties in question have been in existence for many years.
For instance, the Asoludero Court was built in 2004, while the Conference Hotel Sagamu was built in 2013, and the annex since 2015. The governor’s administration is now attempting to use the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022 to demolish buildings that were legally constructed long before the law was even in existence.
This action is not only politically motivated but also a blatant disregard for due process and the rule of law. The notices themselves are clear breaches of procedures, which allow adequate time intervals between notifications on contraventions, quits, and the penalties, if indeed there was any, which is not a demolition or a threat of it. Governor Abiodun’s administration has completely bypassed this procedure, issuing a ‘Notice of Contravention’ and a ‘Notice to Quit’ simultaneously, with an immediate threat of demolition,” it read.
