Ogun State Government on Monday said that the suspension of former governor and the current Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, stemmed from his refusal to support Governor Dapo Abiodun’s re-election bid in 2023.

Daniel was suspended alongside Hon. Kunle Folarin by the leadership of the party over alleged anti-party activities, with the party calling on the duo to appear before its disciplinary committee before the ban on their suspension could be lifted.

Although the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) in a letter dated November 17, 2025, through its Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Bashiru, and addressed to the party’s State Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, said that Daniel remains a bona fide member of the party.

However, speaking at the Midterm Community Assessment And Review Tour Of BATOGD at Ijebu-North council on Sunday, Daniel said that his suspension over anti-party activities during or after the election was due to the governor’s inability to ‘tolerate inclusive governance’ in the state, declaring that he was ready to face the panel investigation committee.

But reacting to Daniel’s accusation, the Special Adviser to Ogun State Governor on Media and Publicity, Kayode Akinmade, said the party suspended Daniel for anti-party activities because he chose to support the Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, over Abiodun to win the 2023 elections.

Akinmade divulged that Daniel, rather than make a U-turn and apologise to the party’s leadership or face the investigation panel committee, resorted to using PDP to fight the party despite holding an APC ticket as a senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District in the state.

He also accused the former governor of hiding under demolition notices on properties and stop work order constituency projects to castigate the current administration on non-inclusion in governance while still refusing to write to the necessary agencies to resolve the problems and carry on with the projects. He said that Daniel cannot play god or be above the state’s laws.

The SA, who said that Senator Olamilaken Adeola, popularly called Yayi of Ogun West Senatorial District, and Senator Salisu Shuaib of Ogun Central Senatorial District followed due process before embarking on any constituency in the state, urged Daniel to emulate them rather than creating unnecessary crisis in the state.

He said, “He (Daniel) is using PDP to fight APC. He did not support Governor Dapo Abiodun’s reelection in 2023, but he and his supporters worked for Adebutu against him. Is that not anti-party? Even if he wants to appear before the investigation committee panel, the time for the appearance has expired.”

“On the stop on work on his(Daniel) constituency projects that he is talking about, that is because he refuses to follow due process by writing letters to the necessary agencies. Is he the only one doing constituency projects in the state? Look at Yayi in Ogun West and Shuaib in Ogun Central; they execute their projects, and we did not hear any noise because they followed due process. Why can’t he do that too, or is he too big to do that?”

“It was not the Ogun State Government that suspended Senator Gbenga Daniel; it was the party, APC, in his ward. The suspension was then ratified by the State Working Committee. The party gave him ample opportunity to defend himself, but he shunned the summons. That he is launching media attacks on the State Government rather than facing the party that gave him a ticket to contest the election, and against which he committed punishable acts, is illogical. It shows that he has no regard for the party or its leadership and no sense of accountability or responsibility. He is just chasing shadows, blaming everyone but himself because of his huge ego.

“Just how is the government persecuting him? This individual talks and acts as if he is still in charge of affairs as the Governor of Ogun State: he wants everyone to automatically kowtow to him, no matter what he does. He claims that the government stopped his constituency project, a project meant to be executed with federal funds, simply because he was asked to follow due process. Is he the only federal lawmaker in Ogun State? Is he the only one executing constituency projects?”

“Why is he the only former governor constantly at war against law and logic in Ogun State, and always staging a pity party using a pliant media whenever he is tasked with taking responsibility for his actions? In Ogun State today, there is peace and stability, unlike his crisis-ridden tenure when he was constantly at war with everyone in the State, including members of the state House of Assembly and the state’s representatives in the National Assembly. Daniel just can’t deal with not being in a position to manipulate things to his advantage. He cannot be bigger than the party that gave him a ticket for the Senate. He should sort out his issues with the party if he still has any shred of conscience or integrity. We have better things to do than to be constantly responding to his tantrums,” he added.