Ogun Govt Hits OGD For Rejecting Consensus Process
The Ogun State Government has described Senator Gbenga Daniel’s recent allegations against Governor Dapo Abiodun as the “rantings of a drowning politician”.
The Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, Hon. Kayode Akinmade in a statement issued on Wednesday, accused the former governor of turning against the same consensus political arrangement that facilitated his emergence as the Ogun East senatorial candidate in 2023.
The government said it was ironic that Daniel, who benefited from the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus process ahead of the 2023 elections through the support and intervention of Governor Abiodun, is now attacking the same party structure and process that helped secure his senatorial ticket.
Daniel, while speaking during his Midterm Assessment and Empowerment Tour in Ijebu Ode, had accused Governor Abiodun of neglecting Ijebuland, frustrating federal projects facilitated by him, causing Ogun State to lose the proposed Dangote Refinery project, and opposing the establishment of a naval base in Abigi.
He noted that Governor Abiodun had, in 2023, prevailed on other aspirants, including the then incumbent senator, to step down for Daniel in the interest of party unity and cohesion.
“The governor ensured a peaceful consensus that led to Daniel’s emergence as the APC senatorial candidate. So, it is ironic that the same person now seeks to discredit the party and its leadership simply because he could not have his way politically,” he added.
The government further maintained that residents of Ogun State, particularly in Ijebuland, remain appreciative of the developmental strides of the Abiodun administration, especially in infrastructure renewal and road rehabilitation.
“Everybody in the state, especially in Ijebuland, appreciates the modest achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun. Most of the deplorable roads abandoned by previous administrations have now been fixed, while about 29 major road projects have been completed in Ijebu Ode alone,” Akinmade said.
The statement also faulted Daniel’s comparison of federal allocations received during his tenure as governor and those accruing to the current administration, accusing him of deliberately ignoring prevailing economic realities and the sharp depreciation of the naira.
“It is interesting that Daniel, who left office in 2011 when the exchange rate hovered around N150 to N170 per dollar, is now claiming he would have executed more projects with current allocations at a time the dollar exchanges for over N1,370. In his desperation to attack the governor, he ignored basic economic realities,” the statement said.