NOBODY IS ABOVE THE STATE, OGUN GOVT TELLS EX-GOV GBENGA DANIEL AMID DEMOLITION DISPUTE
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By: Sefiu Ajape
The Ogun State Government has denied accusations of political witch-hunting leveled by former governor and serving senator, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, after demolition notices were issued for several of his properties.
In a statement on Saturday, the government maintained that the notices were part of a routine urban renewal and town planning audit, dismissing claims of any personal vendetta.
This follows allegations from Daniel’s media office accusing Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration of a “malicious and vindictive abuse of power.”
According to Daniel’s team, the notices — dated Friday, August 8 — targeted his Sagamu private residence, known as The Asoludero Court, as well as his Conference Hotels Limited.
They contended that the government was trying to apply the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law of 2022 retroactively to pull down buildings that had been lawfully erected long before the law came into effect, with some dating as far back as 2004.
They also linked this to the 2023 demolition of a property owned by Daniel’s wife in Ijebu-Ode.
However, in a statement on Saturday, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, dismissed the allegations, calling them “blatant distortions of facts.”
Akinmade clarified that the notices were part of a development audit being conducted in the Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode Government Reserved Areas, an initiative he said affects many other property owners.
Akinmade said that instead of politicising the issue, Daniel should follow due process.
“All Otunba Gbenga Daniel needs to do, just like every other person in a similar situation, is to present his planning permit and land title to the relevant government agency for verification within the time specified in the notices, rather than resorting to cheap blackmail,” he said.
He further emphasised the government’s position on the rule of law.
“Nobody is bigger than the State,” Akinmade said, adding that “Senator Gbenga Daniel is distinguished, no doubt, but he is not bigger than Ogun State. He should submit himself unreservedly to the same laws he once swore twice to uphold,” he said.
The government’s statement also pointed out that such town planning audits are not new and have been a standard procedure, including during Daniel’s tenure as governor. It concluded by urging Daniel to avoid framing every interaction with government institutions as a personal attack on Governor Abiodun.
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