Former Governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun, of deliberately obstructing and sabotaging federal government intervention projects in the state.
Daniel made the allegation on Sunday during the Midterm Community Assessment and Review Tour of the BATOGD Movement in Ijebu Igbo, Ijebu North Local Government of the state.
H stated that he was compelled to speak openly because “silence is no longer an option” after what he described as repeated attempts to sabotage federal efforts meant for his constituents.
Citing the latest alleged attempt by the state government to obstruct federal road rehabilitation projects he facilitated for Ijebu North, Daniel named the two affected projects as the rehabilitation of Itanrin Road and General Hospital Road, both being executed by federal agencies.
He also accused the state of running a three-man government where one outside the “tiny cabal can offer counsel without being ostracised or victimised”.
The former governor stated that despite his allegiance to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, he had been the victim of “political theatrics,” including a contentious suspension that was orchestrated by “two or three aides of the Governor.”
He insisted that accusations against him and the BATOGD Movement were part of a larger plan to stifle dissent, claiming that neither of them had participated in anti-party actions.
Daniel said, “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 or marked for persecution.
“Governance is being administered strictly for a selected few.
“This is not governance; it is a cult, run with dictatorial instincts, treating our commonwealth as a personal estate.”
Highlighting his contributions as a former governor, Daniel listed the establishment of Abraham Adesanya Polytechnic in Ijebu-Igbo, the multi-campus expansion of Olabisi Onabanjo University, and the relocation of the institution to its permanent site in Ago-Iwoye.
He also cited recent projects facilitated as a senator, including solar streetlights, motorised boreholes and a bill for a Federal Medical Centre in Ijebu Ode.
Also speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr, revealed that over ₦700 million had been disbursed to tertiary institutions in Ogun East to support applicants of the student loan scheme.
Sawyerr encouraged more students from the senatorial district and other parts of the state to apply, emphasizing that “the fund is real; it’s not audio money.”
