Former Ogun State governor and senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, has declared that he would decisively defeat Governor Dapo Abiodun in the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary ahead of the 2027 general election.
Daniel made the declaration on Tuesday during an empowerment programme organised by the Bola Ahmed Tinubu–Otunba Gbenga Daniel (BATOGD) Movement in Ijebu-Ode.
“Without any doubt, in a free and fair primary, I will not just win, I will win overwhelmingly,” Daniel said.
“Go to town and check with the people. Ask them questions about who is on the ground.”
The senator alleged that certain forces within the APC were plotting to intimidate party members and discourage voter participation during the primary election.
“What the governor and others depend on is that they’re going to use violence and scare people from coming out to vote,” he alleged, while urging his supporters not to be intimidated.
The growing political tension between Daniel and Abiodun follows reports that APC stakeholders in Ogun East endorsed the governor as the consensus candidate for the district’s senatorial seat.
Daniel was reportedly denied access to the venue of the stakeholders’ meeting held in Ijebu-Ode.
Speaking after the meeting, former Ogun East senator Lekan Mustapha said party leaders backed Abiodun because they believed he possessed the capacity to effectively represent the district in the Senate.
However, the BATOGD Movement rejected the endorsement.
Its Deputy Director-General, Tayo Onayemi, argued that the Electoral Act and the APC constitution only recognise consensus arrangements backed by written agreements among aspirants or direct primaries.
“There is nothing like endorsement in the Electoral Act recently signed into law by the President. What we have is consensus by agreement or direct primaries; anything short of this is null and void,” Onayemi stated.
Both Daniel and Abiodun have reportedly obtained and submitted APC nomination forms ahead of the party primary.
At the event, which featured free medical tests and the distribution of empowerment materials to constituents, Daniel also accused the Ogun State Government of frustrating development projects he facilitated in Ogun East.
“The biggest problem we have in going ahead with that project is my brother and our governor,” he said.
The former governor further criticised the state government over healthcare and infrastructure challenges in the district, questioning efforts to improve medical staffing and public health facilities.
Daniel pointed to the large turnout at the BATOGD programme as evidence of his grassroots support and political strength within Ogun East.
