Ogun State lawmaker and former governor, Gbenga Daniel has reacted to claims made by Governor Dapo Abiodun over previous elections in the state.
Abiodun had on Wednesday claimed that he shelved his ambition to to become a governor and collapsed his structure to support Daniel’s governorship bid in 2023.
He also claimed that he was instrumental in the emergence of Daniel as the Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in 2023.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, Daniel said the statements made by Abiodun are built on fiction and best circulated in rooms where they cannot be immediately interrogated.
Daniel noted that while it is true that Abiodun had contested the Ogun governorship seat in 2001 and 2003 under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he (Daniel) emerged victorious as the elected candidate and further won at the polls.
He also said that despite Abiodun’s campaign being the most “vicious” against his, he went ahead and ran an inclusive government while appointing Abiodun as the pioneer Chairman of the newly formed Gateway Oil & Gas Committee.
“It should also not be forgotten that Mr Dapo Abiodun lost woefully to Senator Buruji Kashamu of the PDP in the 2015 Ogun East Senatorial District election. So much for the strength of that “structure”, Daniel stated.
Also addressing issues surrounding the 2023 Senatorial Election, Daniel said that he won the Ogun East Senatorial election on the strength of his name, his legacy, and the overwhelming support and goodwill of his people.
He noted that remains one of the most consequential political figures Ogun State has ever produced and that his emergence as senator was a product of Governor Abiodun’s backstage choreography is not only false but an insult to every voter in Ogun East Senatorial District who participated in that election.
He added, “So far, the Governor has relied on backroom arrangements, forced consensus, and closed-door manoeuvring to advance his political ambitions. A man truly confident in his structure does not need such tactics.”