Former Governor of Ogun State and the Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, on Sunday, took a swipe at the incumbent Governor Dapo Abiodun, accusing him of running anti-people administration and sabotaging federal interventions in the state.

Daniel revealed that there is a calibrated annoyance growing internally against Abiodun's administration, urging traditional rulers and well-meaning leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to prevail on the governor to return to the path of reasoning.

He spoke in Ijebu-Igbo during the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Otunba Gbenga Daniel (BATOGD) Mid-term Community Assessment and Review Tour to Ijebu North Local Government Area, held to evaluate progress, engage with constituents and inspect community projects.

The lawmaker traced the genesis of his feud with the governor to his decision to counsel him privately on issues "on several occasions."

Daniel explained that rather than heed his private counsel, Abiodun masterminded his "public ostracisation and removal from party and government activities."

He said, "The problem the Governor has, is his fundamental aversion to running a government of the people, by the people. What we have in Ogun State is a 'three-man closed government,' a system where no one outside a tiny cabal can offer counsel without being ostracised, victimised, and marked for persecution.

"It is the norm worldwide that after elections, governance is administered for all, for those who voted for you and those who did not.

“But since 2019 in Ogun State, the opposite is the case. Governance is administered strictly for a selected few, while those perceived to be against the government are treated as outcasts.

"Threat of sack, demolition notices, these are weapons deployed against traditional rulers, community leaders, and even teachers, simply for interacting with those who have dared to offer constructive criticism.

“This is not governance; it is a cult, run with dictatorial instincts, treating our commonwealth as a personal estate.

"As a former Governor of this state for eight years, and as your Senator, I have a duty to speak truth to power. I have tried, on several occasions, to counsel this Governor privately on these very issues. The reward for my private counsel was public ostracisation and removal from party and government activities.

“I have, therefore, held my peace, choosing to focus on my work in Abuja for the benefit of our people. But when that very work is now being sabotaged, silence is no longer an option."

Daniel highlighted some of the projects he facilitated to Ijebu North through federal agencies which were sabotaged by the state government via "stop work order."

He further said, "The role of a National Assembly member is facilitation. We facilitate, and the federal agencies execute. While this should have been commended, the State Government has erected needless impediments.

"They erroneously believe the federal contractors are 'OGD's contractors,' and in line with their agenda of removing anything associated with me, the project must be frustrated.

“A 'stop work order' has been issued by the Local Government Chairman, who we understand is under immense pressure. The question this government is not asking itself is: why choose to fight the people? Why create an anti-people narrative?"

The lawmaker pointed out that if the stop work order was not revoked by December 2025, the federal funding for the roads in the local government would be lost as it would be returned to the treasury.

"The question then is: how can we, in good conscience, continue to earmark projects for Ijebu North if this is the treatment that awaits them?

“This is not just our fear; it is now the common gist in Abuja amongst federal contractors: 'If it's Ogun State, and you don't know the Governor, you are playing with a stop work order,’” he submitted.

The lawmaker, however, used the occasion to express profound gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC for their timely intervention in the affairs of the state chapter of the party, which culminated in the recent nullification of his purported suspension from the party.

"Their action has doused tension and restored a measure of sanity, reminding us that the APC is a party of due process and internal democracy," he noted.