- Former Governor Reacts
The Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has insisted that the suspension of former governor and senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, remains in force.
The party warned that any engagement with Daniel as a member of the APC “is invalid and of no effect.”
But in a swift reaction, media aide, Steve Oliyide, condemned the state chapter’s position, describing it as “part of an ongoing script crafted purposely to frustrate Otunba Daniel out of the APC to have a solo run for the Ogun East Senate ticket come 2027.”
Daniel and one of his political associates, Kunle Folarin, were suspended by the state chapter on August 19 over alleged anti-party activities.
In a statement issued Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Lekan Adeniran, the APC said it had written to the National Chairman to draw attention to Daniel’s “continued public disregard for party discipline” despite his suspension.
The letter, dated October 3, 2025, and sighted by journalists, was jointly signed by the state chairman, Yemi Sanusi, and the state secretary, Tella Aderibigbe.
According to the party, under the APC constitution, a suspended member automatically loses all privileges and rights associated with party membership.
Quoting Article 21, subsection (vii) of the constitution, the APC said a suspended member “is stripped of voting rights, attendance at party meetings, and participation in party activities until the suspension is lifted.”
It added, “As part of the disciplinary processes outlined in our constitution, a member suspended pending investigation is expressly barred from participating in the proceedings of any party organ.”
The party urged government institutions, political actors, and the public to note that Daniel cannot act or be recognised in any capacity as an APC member while his suspension lasts.
“Any and all dealings with Otunba Olugbenga Daniel in the capacity of a bona fide member of the APC are invalid, unrecognised, and of no effect to the party,” it stressed.
The state chapter reaffirmed its commitment to internal discipline, order, and adherence to constitutional guidelines.
But Daniel’s media aide, Oliyide, alleged that the purported suspension was not orchestrated by legitimate party organs but by individuals “afraid of Daniel’s rising political profile and his relationship with President Bola Tinubu.”
He also claimed that Daniel had not received any suspension letter, describing the letter allegedly sent to the APC national leadership as “existing only in the realm of conjecture.”
“Otherwise, it would not have been the business of the governor’s Chief Press Secretary to be circulating what was said to have been written by the party,” Oliyide said.
“The statement was not signed by anybody. Our investigation revealed that it was being circulated by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor. When has the CPS to the Governor become the spokesperson for the party? These are questions journalists should ask.”
He further queried, “Why was the statement not signed, but quoted the state chairman without showing a copy of the letter purportedly written to the national chairman? They should substantiate this with proof, including the purported suspension letter, which no one has seen all these months.”
Oliyide maintained that the alleged suspension was carried out by “an unknown Ward 4 executive in Sagamu Local Government — a ward where Senator Daniel does not belong.”
He said Daniel is registered in Ward 12 (Isote), Sagamu, whose leaders and members have petitioned the state and national party executives, protesting the “purported suspension” by the wrong ward.
“Leaders and some members of Ward 4 also wrote a protest disclaiming knowledge of any such suspension before someone just went on Facebook to announce it,” he said.
He further alleged that some members of the state executive had been pressured “several times, even to the point of threats” to issue the statement but refused, prompting “the perpetrators to resort to using government machinery and operatives to carry out party assignments.”
Credit: punchng.com
