Ogun State is once again in the spotlight for the wrong reasons as Governor Dapo Abiodun has been accused of weaponizing state powers to pursue a personal and political vendetta against his predecessor, Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD).
In a brazen move late Thursday, August 8, 2025, agents of the Ogun State Government reportedly stormed three high-profile properties linked to the former governor — the Asoludero Court, Sagamu; Conference Hotels Limited, Sagamu; and the Conference Hotel Annex — past the close of work hours, to paste Notices of Contravention, Quit Notices, and threats of demolition.
The action, widely described as “political persecution,” has drawn sharp condemnation from the OGD Media Office, which says the move is a calculated attempt by Governor Abiodun to settle political scores under the guise of enforcing the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022.
The properties in question, however, predate the controversial law by several years — with Asoludero Court completed in 2004, Conference Hotel Sagamu in 2013, and its Annex in 2015. “This is a ludicrous and flimsy excuse,” the statement noted, accusing the Abiodun-led administration of “malicious and vindictive abuse of power.”
Breach of Due Process
Critics say the Abiodun administration has violated due process by issuing a Notice of Contravention and a Quit Notice simultaneously, along with an immediate demolition threat — a move they insist is alien to the law. “This is not a legal process; it is a thuggish tactic designed to intimidate and inflict damage,” the statement stressed.
This latest incident follows the controversial midnight demolition of DATKEM Plaza in Ijebu Ode, owned by Yeye Olufunke Daniel, wife of the former governor, in September 2023. That demolition, carried out under similarly questionable circumstances, is still the subject of ongoing legal battles — with the state government reportedly losing multiple applications in both the Ogun State High Court and the Court of Appeal, Ibadan.
“This is a dangerous escalation of political vendetta,” the OGD Media Office declared, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, human rights organizations, and the Nigerian public to step in before Ogun State descends into lawlessness.
“Governor Abiodun is taking political vindictiveness to a shameful and dangerous level. We will not be silent in the face of this injustice,” the statement warned, vowing to challenge the latest actions through all legal means.
