The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to the Ogun State Governor, Dare Odufowokan, has dismissed assertions by the senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, regarding his victory in the 2023 senatorial primary election. Speaking during an interview on Television Continental on Saturday, Odufowokan stated that the primary election never took place. He explained that Senator Daniel was at the palace of the late Oba Sikiru Adetona concluding a consensus arrangement at the time the election was scheduled to hold.
According to Odufowokan, media representatives, party members, and stakeholders waited until late in the evening before the Director General of Senator Lekan Mustapha’s campaign organization, Dr. Ipaye, announced that a consensus agreement had been reached at the Awujale’s palace. He noted that Senator Mustapha subsequently agreed to drop his return bid to the National Assembly.
Odufowokan said, “The alleged primary referred to by Senator Gbenga Daniel never held. If a primary had not held by 5 p.m., why is somebody claiming to have won five local governments? Senator Daniel never surfaced at the venue until a deal was reached very late in the night at the palace of the late Awujale,” He further claimed that when Daniel arrived at the venue, he had to request Dr. Ipaye to raise his hands publicly to assure disappointed supporters that the consensus arrangement was legitimate.
Addressing claims that the former governor was barred from a stakeholders' meeting in Ijebu Ode, the governor's aide denied the allegation, stating that no one blocked Daniel from entering. He stated that the issue arose because Daniel arrived with a bus filled with supporters and insisted on driving into the venue with them, which party leaders opposed. Odufowokan explained that he and the chairman of Odogbolu Local Government advised the senator to enter the venue with a smaller vehicle carrying only himself and his security details, but the lawmaker refused.
Odufowokan noted, “He decided he was not going to participate in the meeting. Senator Daniel only came on TV to play to the gallery,” Regarding Daniel's opposition to endorsing Governor Dapo Abiodun for the 2027 Ogun East senatorial ticket, the aide expressed confidence in Abiodun's prospects. He remarked, “Governor Abiodun will win the Ogun State primary because he has given Ogun East legacy projects we can never forget. He has given us roads, an airport, health projects, among others,”
Odufowokan also disputed Daniel's claim of facilitating a naval dockyard in the state, maintaining that the project was initiated and executed by Abiodun after a series of discussions with naval authorities. He added, “All documents relating to the project have the imprint of Governor Dapo Abiodun,” and challenged the federal lawmaker to present documentary evidence connecting him to the initiative. He argued that Daniel was only presenting motions in the Senate after Abiodun had completed negotiations with the navy.
The position was supported by the National Vice Chairman South-West of the Labour Party, Dr. Abayomi Arabambi, who asserted that political opposition in the state has experienced unprecedented liberty under the current administration. Arabambi, a former chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ogun State, confirmed that Mustapha was convinced to step down for Daniel during the meeting at the palace.
Arabambi stated, “This is the first time we are having clean opposition in Ogun State. During Daniel’s time, you couldn’t query him or challenge him the way he is now challenging Governor Abiodun. Some of us have cases against Governor Abiodun, but the kind of freedom we enjoy now did not happen under Governor Daniel,”
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