GBENGA DANIEL ACCUSES ABIODUN OF NEGLECTING IJEBU LAND, GOV’S AIDE FIRES BACK
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Former Ogun State governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of neglecting Ijebu land despite the massive increase in federal allocations accruing to the state.
Daniel made the remarks on Tuesday during the Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Otunba Gbenga Daniel Midterm Assessment and Empowerment Tour held at his residence in Ijebu Ode.
The senator alleged that there was little infrastructural development to show in Ijebu land, which comprises six local government areas, since Abiodun assumed office in 2019.
According to him, although Ogun State now receives significantly higher allocations from the federation account following the removal of fuel subsidy, the impact of such funds has not been felt across Ijebu communities.
“We need to thank President Bola Tinubu for increasing the amount of federal allocation going to the state by four times. For our eight years, we only had access to N330 billion, but the state for this year alone has a budget of N1.6 trillion,” Daniel said.
“If we are to do little calculations, it means that the N330 billion we received in eight years is what the state now receives every four months, but is there anything to show for it in Ijebu land? Your guess is as good as mine.”
Daniel further alleged that Governor Abiodun failed to support several federal government projects he facilitated in Ogun East Senatorial District, including the ongoing naval base project in Abigi and the proposed Federal Medical Centre in Ijebu Ode.
“When I got to the Senate, I was made Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, and we facilitated a naval base in Ogun State. The project is ongoing at Abigi, but not without opposition from the governor. We went through hell to get the project started,” he claimed.
“In Ijebu Ode, we don’t have a standard hospital, and I facilitated the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre, but the project should have witnessed more progress if there had been support from the governor.”
The former governor also accused Abiodun of remaining silent on the agitation for the creation of Ijebu State, a long-standing demand by many people in the region.
Daniel further alleged that the governor played a role in the loss of the multi-billion-dollar Dangote Refinery project, which he claimed was originally proposed for Ogun Waterside in Ijebu land before it was eventually relocated to Lagos State.
“By the time we were leaving office in 2011, we had finished work on the Dangote Refinery, which was supposed to be in Ijebu land. However, after we left office, the refinery was lost to Lagos,” he alleged.
The senator also criticised the condition of facilities such as the Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic in Ijebu Igbo and the Ijebu Ode International Stadium, both established during his administration, saying they had suffered neglect over the years.
Daniel, however, declared that he was not intimidated by Governor Abiodun’s political influence and expressed confidence that he would defeat the governor in a free and fair contest for the Ogun East Senatorial ticket in 2027.
“I am aware of the enormous power of the incumbent, but in a free and fair election, I will certainly defeat the governor overwhelmingly,” he said.
Reacting to the allegations, Governor Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, dismissed Daniel’s claims as false and politically motivated.
Akinmade described the former governor as “a sinking and desperate politician” and accused him of anti-party activities and disloyalty.
“What do you expect from a desperate politician who had been in the Senate for the past three years, but it has suddenly dawned on him that the end has come to his arrogance, disloyalty and anti-party activities?” he said.
The governor’s aide insisted that Abiodun had executed more than 29 infrastructural projects across Ijebu land and denied claims that the governor opposed federal projects facilitated by Daniel.
He also rejected allegations linking Abiodun to the relocation of the Dangote Refinery project to Lagos, insisting that former governor Ibikunle Amosun was publicly accused by Dangote of frustrating the project during his administration.
“We are all in the state when Dangote said it was Amosun that sent him packing to Lagos because his factory was demolished. He also said he returned to Ogun because Governor Abiodun created an enabling environment,” Akinmade stated.
He added that stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun East had already endorsed Governor Abiodun as their consensus candidate for the Ogun East Senate seat ahead of the 2027 elections.
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