A fresh political dispute has emerged in Ogun State as Senator Gbenga Daniel, a former governor and current lawmaker representing Ogun East, has accused the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun of targeting his properties in Sagamu for demolition.
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Daniel alleges that his private residence, Asoludero Court—constructed in 2004—alongside the Conference Hotel Sagamu, built in 2013, and its annex, completed in 2015, have been marked for removal over alleged violations of building regulations. The properties are located within the Government Reservation Area (GRA) in Sagamu.
According to official notices reportedly posted on the buildings on Friday, August 8, the alleged contraventions include construction without proper permits and inadequate setback from property boundaries. Daniel, however, contends that the structures were built legally and long before the 2022 Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law under which the government is now acting.
In a statement issued by Steve Oliyide of his media office, the former governor described the move as “political persecution,” likening it to the September 2023 demolition of DATKEM Plaza, a property belonging to his wife, which is the subject of an ongoing court case. He further accused the Abiodun administration of bypassing due process by issuing contravention and quit notices simultaneously, alongside immediate demolition threats.
“This is a clear abuse of power,” the statement read, calling on citizens and rights groups to condemn what Daniel described as “vindictive governance.”
The Ogun State Government has dismissed the allegations, describing them as “deliberate misinformation” aimed at discrediting the administration.
In a statement signed by Kayode Akinmade, Special Adviser to the Governor on Information and Strategy, the government said the notices served on Daniel’s properties were part of a wider urban renewal exercise in Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode GRAs, not a targeted political action.
Akinmade explained that the audit of developments in the GRAs is intended to verify the permit status of all structures, including residential, commercial, and institutional buildings. He stressed that Daniel’s buildings were among many others served notices in accordance with the state’s town planning laws.
“All the former governor needs to do, like other affected property owners, is to present his planning permit and land title for verification,” Akinmade said. “No one is exempt from the law.”
The government also rejected claims of political vendetta, noting that the GRA remains under perpetual regulatory oversight, and that compliance checks were in place even during Daniel’s own tenure as governor.
The dispute comes amid a history of tension between the two political figures, with past controversies over property compliance in the state.
