Ogun Govt Denies Targeting Gbenga Daniel Over Property Notices
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The Ogun State Government has dismissed claims by Senator Gbenga Daniel, representing Ogun East, that Governor Dapo Abiodun is targeting him through quit and demolition notices on his properties in Sagamu.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade, the government described the allegation as a “barefaced lie” aimed at causing disaffection and stirring tension in the state.
Senator Daniel, a former governor, had alleged in a press release that the Abiodun administration issued contravention, quit, and demolition notices on his private residence, Asoludero Court, Conference Hotel Limited in Sagamu, and an annex of the hotel, under the guise of a new law applied retroactively.
The government, however, said the notices were part of a wider urban renewal and development audit exercise covering government-reserved areas (GRAs) in Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode, and not a political witch-hunt.
“Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s building happens to be within the Sagamu GRA and among many others served notices under the Town Planning Law. The same process operated even during his tenure as governor,” Akinmade stated.
He explained that the audit aims to verify the permit status of developments within GRAs, adding that the exercise covers all types of buildings—residential, commercial, and institutional.
The government urged Senator Daniel to simply present his planning permit and land title to the relevant agency for verification, as required by law, instead of resorting to “cheap blackmail.”
“Senator Daniel is distinguished, but he is not bigger than Ogun State. He should refrain from turning routine government procedures into allegations of personal vendetta,” Akinmade said.
The statement stressed that Governor Abiodun holds Daniel in high esteem and that no one is “after” the senator.
