In what can only be described as a masterclass in propaganda and wishful thinking, certain political operatives in Ogun State have taken to manufacturing elaborate falsehoods about Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s status within the All Progressives Congress. These purveyors of fiction would have the public believe that a duly elected Senator has been “strategically sidelined” and “left out in the cold”, even as the APC National Secretariat has explicitly declared him a bona fide member of the party.
The desperation is palpable. The lies are transparent. And the facts speak louder than any propaganda.
Let us begin with what propagandists conveniently ignore: On November 17, 2025, the APC National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, issued a formal communication that leaves absolutely no room for misinterpretation. The letter, bearing the authority of the party’s highest administrative office, explicitly stated:
“Until then, Sen. Otunba Olugbenga Daniel remains a bona fide member of the party.”
This was not a suggestion. It was not a procedural formality. It was a definitive declaration that overruled the illegitimate suspension orchestrated by state-level operatives desperate to eliminate political competition ahead of 2027.
The National Working Committee made it crystal clear: any suspension of a serving Senator must be ratified by the NWC as provided by the party’s constitution. This has not happened. Therefore, Senator Daniel’s membership stands intact, protected by the very constitutional provisions these desperate propagandists choose to ignore.
The real story here is not about Senator Daniel’s supposed marginalisation. The real story is about a sitting Governor whose term expires in 2027 and who is widely known to be eyeing the very Senate seat currently occupied by Senator Daniel. Unable to compete on merit, unable to match Daniel’s political pedigree and grassroots support, this Governor has resorted to the most primitive political tactic: attempting to disqualify your opponent through manufactured charges.
The irony is rich. While spinning tales about “party supremacy,” this Governor and his operatives are themselves undermining party supremacy by refusing to respect the clear directive from the APC National Secretariat. They speak of constitutional propriety while violating the party’s own constitution, which requires NWC ratification for such suspensions.
Who is truly undermining the party? The Senator whose membership has been affirmed by the National Secretariat? Or the Governor whose operatives continue to issue illegal suspension letters in defiance of Abuja’s directive?
Presidential Snub
Perhaps the most laughable fabrication in this propaganda piece is the claim that President Tinubu’s omission of Ogun State from a reconciliation list was a “calculated endorsement” of Senator Daniel’s exclusion. This is the kind of tortured logic that only desperation can produce.
President Tinubu’s reconciliation committee was established to address acute crises in states experiencing severe factional disputes. The exclusion of Ogun State from this list could just as easily indicate that the President does not view the Governor’s vendetta against Senator Daniel as a legitimate party crisis worthy of national intervention. It could indicate that the President sees through the manufactured drama for what it is: a personal political ambition masquerading as party discipline.
To interpret non-inclusion on a crisis list as validation of an unconstitutional suspension is the height of self-delusion. It is propaganda dressed up as analysis, wishful thinking presented as fact.
The attack on the Gateway Frontier group reveals the true insecurity driving these desperate measures. The propagandists describe it as a “PDP reservoir in APC clothing” and a “party-within-a-party.” This is code for: “These are politicians with independent support bases who cannot be controlled by Government House.”
Let us be clear: Senator Daniel brought thousands of supporters into the APC when he defected. These are legitimate party members who followed a leader they trust. To now characterise them as a “fifth column” simply because they maintain loyalty to the Senator rather than blind allegiance to the Governor is an insult to their citizenship and their right to political association.
If having a support base distinct from the Governor’s machinery is now grounds for suspension, then the APC in Ogun State has ceased to be a political party and has become a personal fiefdom.
The claim that Senator Daniel has been “placed in a subordinate, implementer role” through a directive to participate in e-registration is yet another fantasy. Every party member, from the President down to ward members, is expected to participate in party registration exercises. To characterise participation in a routine party activity as subordination is to reveal the insecurity of those making the claim.
Senator Daniel is a two-term former Governor, a respected elder statesman, and a serving Senator. His political capital is not determined by Government House memos or the fevered imaginations of spin doctors. His legitimacy comes from the people who elected him and the National Secretariat that has affirmed his membership.
It is worth noting that leaders from all nine Local Governments of Ogun East Senatorial District recently held a world press conference to condemn the persecution of Senator Daniel. These are not fringe elements or disgruntled individuals. These are party leaders from across the senatorial district who see clearly what the rest of Nigeria sees: a politically motivated witch-hunt designed to eliminate competition for 2027.
Their statement was unambiguous: the alleged “anti-party activities” are nothing but a smokescreen for a power struggle connected to the Governor’s senatorial ambitions. They spoke what Government House propagandists dare not admit: this is not about party discipline; it is about eliminating a formidable political opponent.
Reality Check
For all the propaganda about Senator Daniel being “out in the cold,” the political reality tells a different story. He remains a serving Senator with a proven track record. He retains the support of party leaders across Ogun East. He has the explicit backing of the APC National Secretariat, which has declared him a bona fide member.
Meanwhile, what does the Governor have? An illegal suspension letter that has been overruled by Abuja. A propaganda machine churning out wishful thinking. And the albatross of being perceived as a leader so insecure that he must attempt to disqualify opponents rather than compete with them.
The 2027 elections will be decided by voters, not by Government House memos. And voters have a long memory for politicians who abuse power to settle personal scores.
There is an old saying: “Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad with pride.” The propagandists spinning these elaborate fictions about Senator Daniel’s demise are indeed living in fool’s paradise. They have convinced themselves that saying something makes it true, that propaganda can substitute for political reality, that if they repeat lies often enough, the truth will somehow disappear.
But truth is stubborn. And the truth is this:
- Senator Gbenga Daniel remains a bona fide member of the APC, as affirmed by the National Secretariat.
- His purported suspension lacks the constitutional validity required by party rules.
- The allegations against him are politically motivated, as confirmed by leaders from his senatorial district.
- No amount of propaganda can erase his political achievements, his grassroots support, or his standing as a respected elder statesman.
The real question is not about Senator Daniel’s position within the APC. The real question is: How long will a sitting Governor be allowed to abuse party machinery for personal political ambition? How long will party supremacy be sacrificed at the altar of one man’s senatorial dreams?
Let this serve as a clear message to the propagandists: your fictions fool no one. The National Secretariat has spoken. The party leaders of Ogun East have spoken. And soon, in 2027, the voters will speak.
Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s political career is not defined by the desperate machinations of those who fear competing against him. It is defined by his record of service, his political acumen, and the loyalty of the people who continue to stand with him.
As for those manufacturing these elaborate lies, they would do well to remember: propaganda is a poor substitute for political substance. And no amount of spin can dress up the naked ambition of a Governor who has so lost confidence in his own political appeal that he must attempt to disqualify his opponents rather than defeat them at the polls.
The truth will prevail. Party supremacy will prevail. And those living in fool’s paradise will soon wake up to the reality that manufactured crises and illegal suspensions cannot overcome the will of the people and the clear directives of the party’s national leadership.
Senator Gbenga Daniel remains standing. The propagandists can continue their fiction. History will judge who was right.
Seunmanuel Faleye is a brand and communications strategist. He is a covert writer and an overt creative head. He publishes Apple’s Bite International Magazine.
