Former senator and ex-governor Otunba Gbenga Daniel was denied entry to an APC senatorial meeting in Ijebu-Ode on Monday. The meeting, scheduled for 11 a.m. at Adeola Odutola Hall, was called to bring together past and present National Assembly members, party chairmen, and councillors. A notice issued the previous night listed Daniel among those invited. However, upon arrival in a white bus marked "BAT OGD Movement," his convoy was blocked from entering. A local government chairman reportedly ordered the exclusion, citing instructions from "higher authorities."
Clips on social media showed Daniel's security personnel attempting to gain access at the gate, while supporters chanted "OGD, OGD." Daniel stood at the door of his vehicle and declared he had arrived by 10 a.m. for the caucus meeting. He stated that any decisions made in his absence would be meaningless. His media aide, Steve Oliyide, confirmed the incident, calling the gathering a meeting of Governor Dapo Abiodun's loyalists. Oliyide claimed other party members, including former local government chairman Otunba Onayemi, were also threatened or excluded. The APC state publicity secretary, Femi Nuberu, has not responded to inquiries. The meeting was reportedly aimed at endorsing a consensus candidate for Ogun East ahead of the 2027 election. Daniel and Abiodun have been locked in a bitter rivalry over the senatorial ticket. Daniel has previously accused the governor of orchestrating political persecution, a claim the state government denies.
Gbenga Daniel was invited to an APC meeting he helped convene as sitting senator, yet barred from entering by a local chairman acting on orders from unnamed superiors. The party claims unity while hosting a meeting that excludes its own elected representative and other former leaders. If consensus is only for loyalists, then the APC in Ogun East is not selecting a candidate—it is enforcing allegiance. Daniel's presence at the gate, not the table, tells voters exactly who holds power in this caucus.
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