Ogun State’s former Governor Gbenga Daniel has raised an alarm concerning a demolition notice served him by the government, while alleging he was being subjected to political harassment by his successor.
Making the allegation in a statement of Saturday by Steve OLIYIDE of the OGD Media Office, titled, “Political Persecution as Governor Abiodun Issues Quit, Demolition Notices on Daniel’s Properties in Ogun State,” he wrote:
“We need to call the attention of the public and relevant security agencies to a very displeasing development in Ogun State. At about the close of official work, precisely at close to 4pm yesterday, the 8th Day of August, some people claiming to be agents of the government of Ogun State under the Prince Dapo Abiodun administration posted Notices of Contravention, Quit and threats of demolition on the Asoludero Court Sagamu private residence, the Conference Hotels Limited, Sagamu and the hotel Annex of the former Governor of Ogun State, His Excellency The Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel, FNSE FAEng simultaneously.
We strongly condemn this latest act of political persecution by Governor Dapo Abiodun, as evidenced by the recent issuance of these Notices which were dated August 8, 2025, as a clear demonstration of the governor’s malicious and vindictive abuse of power, hiding behind a newly-enacted law retroactively to target a political opponent.
The documents, concerning these properties cite “suspected” offenses related to construction without adequate permits (which is laughable). This is a ludicrous and flimsy excuse, as the properties in question have been in existence for many years. For instance, the Asoludero Court was built in 2004, while the Conference Hotel Sagamu was built in 2013, and the Annex since 2015. The governor’s administration is now attempting to use the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022 to demolish buildings that were legally constructed long before the law was even in existence.
“This action is not only politically motivated but also a blatant disregard for due process and the rule of law. The Notices in themselves are clear breaches of procedures which allows adequate time intervals between Notifications on contraventions, Quits. The penalties for any infractions under the law, if indeed there was any, is not a demolition or a threat of it. Governor Abiodun’s administration has completely bypassed this procedure, issuing a “Notice of Contravention” and a “Notice to Quit” simultaneously, with an immediate threat of demolition. This is not a legal process; it is a thuggish tactic designed to intimidate and inflict damage.
“It is worth noting that this is not an isolated incident. This latest act of persecution follows a similar pattern of illegal demolitions carried out by Governor Abiodun’s administration. We recall with disgust the illegal demolition of DATKEM Plaza Ijebu Ode, a property belonging to the wife of Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Yeye Olufunke Daniel in the midnight of September, 2023 by thugs believed to be working on the orders of the Governor as no government agent will be sent on such assignment at ungodly hours of the night, even on a weekend on equally flimsy excuses. The matter is currently in court, and the state has already lost several applications at the Ogun State High Court and another at the Court of Appeal in Ibadan, a clear indication that their actions lack legal merit.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun is taking political vindictiveness to a shameful and dangerous level, without any regard for extant laws or common decency. We call on all well-meaning citizens, human rights organizations, and legal bodies to stand with us in condemning this egregious abuse of power. We will not be silent in the face of this injustice and will use all legal means at our disposal to ensure that Governor Abiodun is held accountable for his lawless actions.
The Ogun State Government reacted in a statement by Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, under the title: “Ogun State Government Debunks Senator Gbenga Daniel’s Barefaced Lie, Says Prince Abiodun Not after Former Governor:”
“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 and titled “Political Persecution as Governor Abiodun Issues Quit, Demolition Notices on Daniel’s Properties in Ogun State.”
“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 been propagated by the statement in question, the Ogun State Government is not engaged in any untoward move against Otunba Gbenga Daniel in anyway.
“The fact of the matter, quite simply, is that in his holistic approach to development efforts across the length and breadth of Ogun State, His Excellency, Governor Dapo Abiodun, has embarked not only on building new communities as exemplified by the affordable housing estates and the yellow roof revolution but also on the redevelopment of Ogun State’s towns and cities through urban renewal. This, he started with Ibara GRA in Abeokuta, the state capital, and is being extended to Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode GRAs. This initiative involves the auditing of existing developments within these areas in order to determine the permit status of all types of developments, including houses, schools, hospitals and other commercial buildings. This is a statutory and due process requirement which will provide information for any government intervention. And this informed the development audit exercise currently being carried out simultaneously both in Ijebu-Ode and Sagamu GRAs.
“Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s building happens to be within the Sagamu GRA and among those that were served notices as required under the Town Planning Law and Regulation of Ogun State. Many other structures were also similarly served. The exercise is a continuous one until the objective of government for the exercise is achieved. 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 governmet in perpetuity. All Otunba Gbenga Daniel needs to do, like every other person’s in 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.
“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 by Governor Abiodun, who obviously holds him in high esteem. Since his referenced buildings must have conformed with 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 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?
“No one should assign impure motives to a routine procedure. If anyone is after Senator Gbenga Daniel, it is certainly not the Governor of Ogun State.”
