Ogun state APC threatened over Gov. Abiodun, Amosun, Daniel’s feud

Olusesan Laoye

In the last four years of the reign of Governor Dapo Abiodun, the political turbulence in Ogun State has been more intense than the previous 16 years of his two friends, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who both ruled for eight years each.

The incumbent, who is the last of the three to fulfill their future ambitions of governing the Gateway State, appears to be facing more heat on the governorship chair than any of his predecessors.

The sad aspect of his ordeal is that both political foes are his two bosom friends, who have been allegedly accused of spearheading the onslaught against him. The situation is, however, making lovers of democracy worried over numerous crises, which have engulfed Ogun state in the last four years.

It was alleged that both Amosun and Daniel have been launching severe attacks on Gov. Abiodun to frustrate him, while he too, is fighting back, with the weapon of incumbency, as the chief executive of the state, to deal with the situation and to bail himself out of the traps allegedly being set for his failure.

Of the three, it was Daniel that came first, followed by Amosun and now Abiodun, who through his actions, has been described to be arrogant in power.

What makes Abiodun’s case worse now, is that he has two powerful men in the same party to face with others strong people too, outside the party, to contend with.

The political feud is now affecting the unity of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state, with more work for Chief Olusegun Osoba, who is their political father, having sleepless night, waging into the situations, to mend fences for the future of the APC in Ogun State.

Although at the inception of Abiodun’s bid to contest the governorship, after his two friends had had their slots, Daniel was the only one, who backed him, but Amosun did not hide his disdain, as he supported another candidate from Ogun West based on what he described as justice, fairplay, and equity, that it was the turn of the Yewa/Awori from the West to govern, after Central are the ones at the helms of affairs since the state was created and the advent of political governance.

In the second republic, there was the late Chief Olabisi Onabanjo, from Ogun East, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Ogun Central, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Ogun East, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun Central and now the incumbent, Dapo Abiodun from Ogun East.

It was since then that Amosun and Abiodun have been at loggerheads, and the political hatred continued, throughout his first term and even more pronounced, when Abiodun wanted a second term.

In the case of Otunba Daniel, who is now in the Senate for the first time, though he supported Abiodun for his first term, they fell apart, when he, Abiodun was going for a second term.

It was said that Abiodun did not like the idea of Daniel going into the Senate because he too, is nursing the idea after his second term, thinking that if Daniel wins, he would want to go for another term and that would stall his chances.

Daniel too, who had noticed Abiodun’s body language, did not back him for a second term but, instead, allegedly, pitched his tent with Ladi Adebutu.

While both Daniel and Amosun are alleged to be acting underground, in a subtle manner, to undermine, Abiodun, in turn, now using his executive powers to deal with his erstwhile friends.

It was argued that Daniel, in particular, is still very much with Adebutu, who just lost to Abiodun at the Tribunal.

Adebutu too has not given up the fight, with the likes of Daniel, Amosun and other top political big wiggs, across party lines in the State, backing him to fight the battle to a logical conclusion, probably to the apex Court.

It was this that was speculated to be the reason Abiodun vented his anger on Daniel, whose wife’s complex at Ijebu-Ode was demolished, for contravening the state physical planning laws.

The demolition exercise, which took the people of the state and the entire country by surprise and which also generated nation wide debate, was described as politically motivated and an action to deal with the former governor, Daniel, who was not in support of Abiodun’s second term.

Up till now, the demolition of DATKEM complex said to have been there since 2009 and which belongs to Mrs. Olufunke Daniel, was called illegal structure by the permanent secretary Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr. Olayiwola Abiodun, who defended the government’s action, adding that it violates the building codes of the State numerous defects, saying that all efforts, to stop further development were ignored by the developers.

He pointed out that the state government of the day had no choice, but to take proactive measures by partially pulling down the structure.

While Mrs.. Daniel who’s was a former First Lady of the State, posited that the action of the state government was not any other thing, but, executive recklessness.

Her lawyer too, Barrister Adeyinka Kotoye (SAN), while defending his client, said the building was not just there, it has been in the same place since 2009 and that the present government ignored series of court papers served it not to carry out the demolition, which according to him, was carried out by political thugs of Governor Abiodun, monitored by government officials, He added that they have evidence to back up their allegations.

The project manager and the developer, Mr. Olusegun Lawal, claimed that approval was granted for the project which started in 2009, citing Registration number CB/05/299/2009, granted by relevant authorities in the state.

Some of the loyalists of former governor Daniel claimed that it was an act of vendetta that was not expected of the governor, who they claimed should not be too sure that the electoral case, which could still drag up to the apex court, would eventually favour him.

But Abiodun while reacting to the insinuation, said that the demolition was not politically motivated as alleged by Daniel

According to him, “government action should not be seen as anything extra ordinary because the law is not a respecter of anybody or VIPs.”

Governor Abiodun went on, “they felt they were above the law because they were recalcitrant.They sent you a demolition order, but, you still did not respond, you begin to attempt to grease their palms, so they can overlook your contravention. But, of course, they have forgotten that the day of reckonings would always come”

One other matter which shook the state and which was also described as politically motivated, was the allegation of Zero allocation against Abiodun, by the Ijebu East Local government Chairman, Mr.Wale Adebayo, who said the local governments in the state were starved of funds by Aboodun.

The allegation of the council chairman, that they were not allowed to have access to their federal allocation, sparked a lot of controversies, as it eventually landed the Chairman in the den of the DSS, where, he spent three days, before he was released on the grounds that he should withdrew the letter, which he wrote to Chief Olusegun Osoba, the leader of the APC, and elder stateswoman, who equally, was a former governor of the State.

Adebayo, who said the DSS asked him to retract his statement but he declared that he is “unshaken” about his action, because what he said, was for the best interests of the people at the grassroots.

He accused his colleagues chairmen, who went to apologized on his behalf, by prostrating for the governor, of betrayal. Their action was described nationwide, as a show of shame.

According to him, the letter he sent to Chief Osoba, was decided by all of them and they all had inputs but, at the last minute, they ran back. “But, since i was not timid or afraid of the governor, I signed it and forwarded it, to the leader of the party, who himself, was a former governor and who will be in the right position to call Governor Abiodun to order.”

He said, “the truth is clear. I have not embarrassed the governor. He is my friend and egban, i am fighting for the integrity of the local governments because if they are properly funded and they do well, it would be for the glory of the party in future and the people”.

However, the action of the Council Chairman did not go down well, with Governor Abiodun and his associates, who felt that he was sent to bring the governor down and put him against the local people at the grassroots.

Some of them, even insinuated that the Ijebu East chairman was sent by both Amosun and Daniel to disparaged Abiodun, who is now their enemy .

In his reaction, when contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Lekan Adeniran said, that governor Abiodun never tampered with the Local governments allocations but rather, he is always augmenting them.

He said the chairman is an agent of some people, trying to create mischief and chaos and his action was a calculated attempt to discredit the government.

However, former PDP governorship aspirant in the last election, Chief Segun Sowunmi, castigated Abiodun, for making Ogun unsafe, saying “Dapo Abiodun’s arrogance was unbecoming”

Just as those against the governor are determined to fight on.