A caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun East turned contentious on Monday, as party stakeholders unanimously endorsed Governor Dapo Abiodun for the 2027 senatorial race, while former governor and current senator Gbenga Daniel was denied entry to the venue of the meeting.

The meeting, held at Adeola Odutola Hall in Ijebu-Ode, drew a large cross-section of party leaders, including members of the Governor’s Advisory Council, lawmakers, local government officials, ward executives, councillors, and youth and women representatives.

Organisers described the turnout as evidence of a broad-based consensus across the Ogun East Senatorial District.

At the gathering, stakeholders announced what they called a unanimous decision to adopt Governor Abiodun as the APC’s consensus candidate for the district’s senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections.

However, the endorsement was overshadowed by a standoff outside the venue, where Senator Daniel was prevented from entering the venue of the meeting.

The development triggered protests from his supporters, who gathered at the scene chanting in solidarity.

Addressing the crowd, Daniel expressed shock at the situation and questioned the legitimacy of the meeting’s outcome.

“We came for the Ogun East APC caucus meeting but were unexpectedly denied access. Whatever decisions are taken inside should be considered null and void,” he said.

Despite the disruption, proceedings continued inside the hall.

Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, former senator Lekan Mustapha said the endorsement reflected widespread confidence in Abiodun’s leadership and political direction.

“We will formally communicate this resolution to the governor and set up a delegation to convey our position. He has been adopted as our consensus candidate,” Mustapha stated.

In a viral video clip seen by HorizonTimes, a branded bus conveying the senator was stopped at the entrance of the venue, with access allegedly blocked by the Chairman of Odogbolu local government, Babatunde Diya and a Political Adviser to governor Dapo Abiodun, Hon Biyi Adeleye.

When contacted, Adeleye denied that the senator was barred from attending the meeting, adding that he was only instructed not to enter the meeting with his vehicle.

He confirmed that he was consulted by the accreditation team upon the senator’s arrival and maintained that there was an instruction for the Senator to disembark from the vehicle and walk in to the meeting.

"We didn't prevent him, this venue is highly restricted because of security concern. What we have said is that people should park their vehicles outside.

"So, you are now coming with a bus filed with people who am sure are not invited for this meeting. The instruction was that 'get down from the vehicle and come inside as in individual who was invited to the meeting'.

"He refused, he insisted that he was coming in with his lorry with people who are not supposed to be in the meeting. We told him to get down from the vehicle and come inside as an individual," he said.