The Ogun State High Court has extended interim orders protecting the property interests of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, following a hearing in the suit between the former governor and the State Government. Presiding Judge, Justice O. S. Oloyede, issued the order on Tuesday in the case marked HCS/373/2025, while also directing all parties to maintain the current state of affairs and to pursue an amicable resolution out of court.
The extension of the orders was successfully secured by Lead Counsel for the claimants, Barrister Yinka Kotoye, SAN, ensuring the existing legal protections for the property remain firmly in place.
A pivotal point in the proceedings arose when the State’s legal team, led by the Solicitor-General, applied to the court suggesting the claimants should submit documents. Barrister Kotoye, SAN, firmly countered this move. He established that the government’s first necessary step must be the withdrawal of all previous notices served on his clients before any other discussions could even be considered. He also stated his need to consult with his client on the state’s application, a right he emphasised is fundamental to a fair legal process.
The court ultimately ruled to extend the interim orders, instructed both sides to maintain the status quo, and strongly advised them to explore a settlement through mediation. Crucially, the court did not issue any order that would compel the claimants to present their documents.
The State Government’s legal team, who filed their processes this morning, described their actions as “housekeeping” and asserted they had no “hidden agenda.”
With the path towards mediation agreed upon, Justice Oloyede adjourned the matter to October 13, 2025, to allow for settlement talks or to proceed with further hearings.
Barrister Kotoye, SAN, was accompanied by O.T. Are for the claimants. The State Government’s team included the Solicitor-General, R.B. Kadiri (Director of Civil Litigation), and W.A. Onawole (Assistant Director of Civil Litigation).
The recent court hearing is the latest chapter in an escalating political feud, which began in earnest when Ogun State Government agents, after work hours on August 8, 2025, invaded three high-profile properties linked to Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel—Asoludero Court, Conference Hotels Limited, and its Annex—to deliver Notices of Contravention, Quit Notices, and immediate demolition threats. This act was widely condemned as a brazen case of political persecution and a weaponisation of state power by Governor Dapo Abiodun, given that all properties were constructed years before the state’s Urban and Regional Planning Law of 2022 was even enacted.
The move is seen as a dangerous escalation from a similar controversial midnight demolition of a plaza owned by Daniel’s wife in September 2023, an act which itself remains a contentious subject in ongoing legal battles, setting a bitter backdrop for the current judicial proceedings aimed at halting what critics call a personal vendetta disguised as legal enforcement.
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.
