Dapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State, has accused Gbenga Daniel, senator representing Ogun East, of sponsoring negative media campaigns against him, deepening a political rift within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Abiodun made the remarks on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting of the APC in Ogun East, days after he was endorsed as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.

The dispute follows Daniel’s exclusion from an APC caucus meeting held on April 20 in Ijebu-Ode, where Abiodun secured the endorsement. Daniel, who addressed supporters outside the venue, dismissed the outcome of the meeting as “null and void”.

Despite the consensus arrangement, Daniel has since purchased the APC nomination form to seek re-election to the Senate, signalling a potential intra-party contest.

Speaking at the meeting, Abiodun reflected on his political relationship with the former governor, saying he played a decisive role in Daniel’s emergence as senator.

“I know what I did for Governor Daniel to become a senator. I have never said this publicly, and I am saying it now,” Abiodun said.

He added that he mobilised his political structures in support of Daniel and facilitated his emergence by influencing other aspirants to step down.

“I know what my intervention was to get them to step down for him to emerge as senator,” he said, referencing other contenders in the race at the time.

Abiodun also said he supported Daniel’s reintegration into the APC after previous political differences, describing his actions as deliberate efforts to strengthen party unity.

“I held his hand to ensure that he was integrated back into the party. These are facts,” he said.

The governor, however, expressed disappointment over what he described as Daniel’s response, alleging that the senator had resorted to backing media attacks against him.

“If Governor Daniel now believes that the only way to repay me is by sponsoring negative media attacks against me, I leave him to his conscience,” he said.

The disagreement highlights growing tensions within the Ogun APC ahead of the 2027 elections, as competing interests emerge over key political positions.

Abiodun, who thanked party leaders for endorsing him, pledged not to disappoint supporters and expressed confidence in the party’s prospects in the state.

He also voiced support for the party’s broader electoral ambitions, including backing for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and the governorship aspiration of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola.