By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.
Former Ogun State governor and Senator representing Ogun East, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of political persecution after the alleged issuance of demolition notices on his properties in Sagamu, including the Asoludero Court, Conference Hotels Limited, and its annex.
In a statement by his media aide, Steve Oliyide, Daniel said officials pasted contravention, quit, and demolition notices on the buildings around 4 p.m. on Friday, August 8, giving just three days’ notice. The notices cited breaches of the 2022 Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning Law.
Daniel dismissed the allegations as “laughable,” noting that the buildings were erected long before the 2022 law existed Asoludero Court in 2004, Conference Hotel in 2013, and the annex in 2015. He accused the administration of bypassing due process by issuing multiple notices simultaneously, calling it a “thuggish tactic designed to intimidate.”
The senator likened the development to the 2023 midnight demolition of DATKEM Plaza, owned by his wife, which is still the subject of ongoing litigation.
Daniel urged citizens, human rights groups, and legal bodies to condemn what he called an “egregious abuse of power.”
However, Governor Abiodun’s Special Adviser on Media, Kayode Akinmade, denied targeting Daniel, insisting the government is auditing building plan compliance across the state. He said Daniel’s properties were not singled out and that genuine documents would clear any concerns.
