The two-term tenure of Governor Dapo Abiodun is gradually coming to an end, and sources close to the governor have revealed that the governor is nursing an ambition to head to the senate to represent Ogun East Senatorial District.
However, the same seat is being occupied by Senator Gbenga Daniel of the same party, who is also eyeing a second term. Hence, depending on if President Tinubu and the party leadership step in, a high-stakes internal conflict is imminent, as there have been quite a huge build-up to this stage between the governor and the senator.
Gov. Dapo Abiodun wants the senatorial ticket, and the best individual, politically, who could put in some words for him President Bola Ahmed Tinubu – the same person he failed to support during the run-in to the 2023 presidential elections.
Even if they weren’t acquaintances or friends, what many people view as friendship is really just a quicksand marriage. After years of assaults and threats, Daniel and Amosun appear to have reconciled, but the animosity between Abiodun and Daniel is more profound than the general public is aware. In the past months, the animosity that has grown between the two has heightened in such a way that even supporters of each of them trade words physically and virtually, highlighting their dispute as one of the most fierced in the history of the state.
The first obvious fracture occurred in 2023 when the Abiodun administration razed Daniel’s wife’s multi-story complex in Ijebu Ode, DATKEM Plaza, on the grounds of alleged planning violations, even though legal action was still pending.
The next crisis arose when an Ogun State High Court issued an ex parte injunction prohibiting Governor Dapo Abiodun or any state government official from altering or demolishing the Asoludero Court, Sagamu GRA private home of former state governor Gbenga Daniel.
The Conference Hotels Limited and the previous governor’s annex were also covered by the injunction.
Why Dapo Abiodun is making Tinubu ‘happy’?
In the build-up to the 2023 presidential elections. eyebrows were raised when Dapo Abiodun openly threw his weight behind the then former vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo against President Bola Tinubu, who has been his long-term political mentor. Sources reveal that Abiodun allegedly persuaded Ogun delegates to back Osinbajo at the Abuja national convention, made fun of Tinubu’s “Chicago certificate” incident, and said that his candidate was a “qualified professor.” He mockingly mocked Tinubu’s earlier labeling of him as Eleyi (this one) by singing “Eleyi Ara wa, eyi Ara wa!” as he concluded his speech.
Things became worse after Tinubu won the APC ticket. Tinubu’s attempts to run for office in Ogun State were likewise purportedly unsuccessful. Only until the Tinubu/Shettima Independent Campaign Council, led by Senator Gbenga Obadara and former Ogun governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD), maintained that Tinubu could mobilize supporters without government consent, did Abiodun provide campaign clearance.
The governor later permitted that the presidential rally held at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.
What is Dapo Abiodun doing now to appease Tinubu?
Gov. Dapo Abiodun’s flagship airport project displayed a high level of showboating to President Tinubu. Obviously, the flagship was more of Tinubu’s visit than the projects themselves. Prior to the President’s visit, there was an exuberant atmosphere. The visit was advertised on billboards around the state.
While the president expressed gratitude, the governor applauded the president’s reforms — foreign exchange unification, elimination of fuel subsidies, repositioning of public finances, better tax administration, digitization, and agency strengthening, NELFUND — and many other projects.
He also, quite humorously, revisited the ‘Eleyi’ comments by President Tinubu and said it was in Ogun state that the president ‘prophecised’ that he was going to be the president of the country.
The governor then went on to announce that the reconstructed Old Ibadan Road is remaned the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Expressway. Two days after, the governor left Ogun to visit Tinubu in Abuja to present him the “Sword of Jagaban” a symbol of conquest.
In Febuary, a massive ₦6.1 billion contract for the new Abeokuta Division of the Court of Appeal was awarded by Abiodun’s government, with the state covering the entire cost up front while waiting for federal repayment.
Will Dapo Abiodun get the senatorial ticket?
ENigeria Newspaper can conclude that it is obvious how the state governor is doing all he can to win favours in the eyes of the president. All these indicate that the governor would be delighted if the president intervenes in who represents Ogun East senatorial district as he faces a stiff opposition from incumbent Gbenga Daniel.
For now, it remains to be seen if the president would let go of Dapo’s betrayal in 2023 and support him for the ticket in 2027. After all, the president is the chief decision maker of the party and footprints have shown in several state decisions concerning the party.
For now, only time will tell.
