Dapo Abiodun’s Persecution of OGD: Dangerous Game That Could Hurt APC

By Ope Banwo

Governor Dapo Abiodun has once again bared his fangs in Ogun State politics in what looks like a desperate attempt to crush his longtime political benefactor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD)—the same man whose quiet but decisive support helped him clinch victory in 2019.

Ahead of the 2027 elections, the governor’s vendetta against OGD has grown open, brazen, and vindictive. This is no ordinary rivalry; it is a shocking act of betrayal.

OGD is not just another politician. He is a two-term governor, a respected grassroots mobilizer, and one of the most formidable political forces in Ogun. In 2019, his structures swung in Abiodun’s favor at a critical time, saving a candidacy that was hanging by a thread. Today, that loyalty is being repaid with persecution.

A Pattern of Betrayal

Abiodun’s politics has long been marked by betrayal. Recall that during the 2023 APC primaries, he was derisively labeled “Eleyi” by President Bola Tinubu after an alleged attempt to undermine him. Now, the governor has turned his dagger on another benefactor—OGD—simply because he covets the senatorial seat currently held by the former governor.

Having failed in his reckless bid to demolish OGD’s houses—a move already stopped by the courts—Abiodun has turned to the party machinery. Last week, a handful of pro-Abiodun loyalists met in secret and declared OGD “suspended” from the APC. No formal accusations were made, no notice was served, no evidence presented, no hearing granted. The entire exercise was a charade.

This was not party discipline—it was political brigandage.

2023: A multibillion-naira commercial complex belonging to OGD’s wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel, was demolished overnight by the Abiodun administration under the flimsy excuse of “contravention,” despite the matter being sub judice.

2025: The governor attempted to move against OGD’s Sagamu residence and other properties with contravention and demolition notices—issued on the same day, after work hours, without giving OGD any opportunity to respond. The High Court had to restrain the state from carrying out the demolition.

2025 (recent): With the courts blocking his demolition plans, Abiodun turned to party politics, orchestrating OGD’s suspension from APC in a secret midnight meeting of loyalists.

This is not governance. It is gangsterism dressed in official robes.

Governor Abiodun’s obsession with neutralizing OGD has torn Ogun APC apart. Instead of building cohesion ahead of 2027, the party is bleeding goodwill and morale. Loyalists of OGD face harassment and intimidation, while opposition parties quietly prepare to capitalize.

Meanwhile, ordinary citizens continue to suffer. Ogun people want jobs, infrastructure, and security—not bulldozers deployed against political enemies. When courts repeatedly restrain a sitting governor from demolishing his rival’s properties, it paints Ogun as lawless and unstable.

History shows no political party survives long when internal wars become blood sport.

The danger is bigger than Ogun. OGD is no lightweight—he remains one of the most connected political figures in the Southwest. If hounded out of APC, he could defect to PDP or ADC, instantly turning Ogun into a battleground in 2027.

President Bola Tinubu cannot afford such fractures in his stronghold. Suspending a former governor and sitting APC senator is not “discipline”—it is political suicide. The fallout could weaken APC’s 2027 scaffolding.

Governor Abiodun may think he is winning, but every bulldozer sent against OGD, every kangaroo suspension, and every ignored court order is writing him a dark legacy—that of a petty dictator willing to sacrifice his party and state on the altar of ego.

If unchecked, this scorched-earth politics could consume not just Abiodun’s future, but also APC’s chances in Ogun and beyond.

Governor Dapo Abiodun’s persecution of OGD is shameful, reckless, and dangerous. He is tearing down the very house he hopes to inherit.

The APC national leadership—and President Tinubu himself—must act now. Ogun deserves better. Nigeria deserves better. If Abuja looks away, this fire in Ogun may spread into the 2027 battlefield, with dire consequences.

 

Ope Banwo is
Attorney at Law, Founder, Naija Lives Matter