Political War In Ogun: Gbenga Daniel Alleges Dapo Abiodun’s Plan To Bulldoze His Sagamu Properties

In a statement released on Saturday by his media aide, Steve Oliyide, former Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, alleged that state government officials served him with contravention, quit, and demolition notices at about 4 p.m. on Friday, August 8. The notices were reportedly pasted on his Sagamu residence, The Asoludero Court, as well as on Conference Hotels Limited and its annex.

According to the documents, the properties were said to be in violation of the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning Law of 2022. Daniel, however, dismissed the allegation as “ludicrous,” stressing that the buildings were constructed long before the law came into effect.

He explained that Asoludero Court was built in 2004, Conference Hotel in Sagamu in 2013, and the hotel’s annex in 2015 — all predating the 2022 legislation. “This is a flimsy and laughable excuse. The government is attempting to apply a law retroactively to demolish properties that were lawfully built years before it existed,” he said.

The former governor further accused Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration of using the law as a political weapon, bypassing due process by issuing a “Notice of Contravention” and a “Notice to Quit” simultaneously, accompanied by an immediate demolition threat. “This is not a legal process; it is a thuggish tactic meant to intimidate and cause damage,” he stated.

Daniel linked the current threats to the September 2023 midnight demolition of DATKEM Plaza in Ijebu Ode, owned by his wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel — an action he claimed was carried out by thugs allegedly working under the governor’s orders. He noted that the matter is still in court, where the state has lost several applications both at the Ogun State High Court and at the Court of Appeal in Ibadan.

Calling the latest action “an egregious abuse of power,” Daniel urged Nigerians and human rights groups to speak out.

Responding, Governor Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Akinmade, denied that Daniel was being targeted, insisting the government was simply verifying building approvals. “Many of these properties violate approved plans. The letter was not sent to him alone. If his papers are genuine, why is he panicking?” Akinmade said, adding that the government was preparing a comprehensive statement on the matter.