The Ogun State Government has denied claims that Governor Dapo Abiodun is targeting former governor, Sen. Gbenga Daniel, after serving demolition and quit notices on Daniel’s residence and hotel in Sagamu Government Reservation Area.
Served notices are the Asoludero Court (residence), the Conference Hotels Limited annex among others.
In a statement released on Saturday, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, said that Daniel and his media team are trying to give a “political motive to a routine procedure.”
Akinmade suggested that Daniel is trying to hide something and is using underhanded tactics to achieve “sinister objectives.”
Akinmade explained that Daniel’s buildings which are in the Sagamu GRA were served notices in accordance with the Town Planning Law and Regulation of Ogun State, just like many other structures.
According to Akinmade, if Daniel’s buildings follow government regulations, he has “nothing to fear.”
“All Otunba Gbenga Daniel needs to do, like every other person in a similar situation that have been served with such notices in that neighbourhood, is to present his planning permit and land title to the relevant government Agency office for verification within the time specified in the notices rather than resorting to cheap blackmail. There are no exemptions under the law except as permitted by that Law,” the statement said.
It stated: “The attention of the Ogun State Government has been drawn to a press statement issued by the Media Office of the Senator representing Ogun East and a former Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Saturday, August 9, 2025 and titled “Political Persecution as Governor Abiodun Issues Quit, Demolition Notices on Daniel’s Properties in Ogun State”,” Akinmade said.
“The statement written in extremely bad taste and with intent to cause disaffection and foment chaos in the state alleges that Governor Dapo Abiodun posted Notices of Contravention, Quit and threats of demolition on the Asoludero Court Sagamu private residence of Gbenga Daniel, the Conference Hotels Limited, Sagamu and the hotel Annex of the former Governor of Ogun State, with intent to illegally demolish those properties.
“The statement framed the said notices purportedly received on Friday, August 8, as a clear demonstration of ‘malicious and vindictive abuse of power, hiding behind a newly enacted law retroactively to target a political opponent.’ Nothing can be further from the truth.
“Of course, in what has become a familiar pattern, Senator Daniel and his Media Office have been ascribing political motives to a routine procedure, suggesting that they have something to hide and do not mind using underhand tactics to achieve their sinister objectives.
“Contrary to the blatant distortions of facts and egregious purveyors of falsehood being propagated by the statement in question, the Ogun State Government is not engaged in any untoward move against Otunba Gbenga Daniel in any way.”
Akinmade stated that Governor Abiodun’s administration is taking a comprehensive approach to development across the state.
This includes building new communities, such as affordable housing estates, and redeveloping existing towns and cities through urban renewal.
Akinmade explained that the initiative began with the Ibara Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Abeokuta and is now being extended to the Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode GRAs.
This effort involves auditing all existing developments—including homes, schools, hospitals, and other commercial buildings—to determine the status of their permits.
According to Akinmade, this audit is a legal requirement that provides information for future government projects.
He noted that this is why the development audit is being conducted in both the Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu GRAs at the same time.
He added that Daniel’s building, located within the Sagamu GRA, was served a notice in accordance with the Town Planning Law and Regulation of Ogun State, just like many other structures.
Akinmade said the audit will continue until the government’s objectives for the project are met.
“This process is not new. It had been in existence and operated even during his tenure as Governor of the State. The GRA is a government-designed and allocated estate and it is subject to regulatory and oversight functions of government in perpetuity,” he said.
“Did the distinguished senator not conduct a check around the neighbourhood before hastily rushing to the media to demonise Governor Dapo Abiodun and his administration, as usual? The statement in question jumped the gun by saying that the Government is focusing on Senator Daniel. That is a barefaced lie.
“It is the duty of the government to carry out audits and for someone who has been in office as Governor and who is now a Senator to be crying wolf is highly unfortunate. It seems that Senator Gbenga Daniel and his crew will do anything they can to drag the name of Governor Dapo Abiodun into every issue imaginable just to score cheap political points. This is not a hallmark of statesmanship, a topic that the distinguished senator likes to talk about with flourish; it is a dark tactic.
“Nobody is bigger than the state. 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 should refrain from elevating every issue of his contact with government institutions to a personal vendetta against Governor Abiodun, who obviously holds him in high esteem.
“Since his referenced buildings must have conformed to government regulations, there should not be any problem. The distinguished Senator knows the law and has presumably abided by it, so why is he crying foul instead of simply complying with a lawful directive, supremely confident in the knowledge that he has done no wrong, and knowing the rights afforded him by the Constitution and the courts?”
Akinmade stated that no one should attribute ulterior motives to what is a standard procedure and that if anyone is targeting Senator Daniel, it is not Governor Abiodun.
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