Ijebu-Ode —The circumstances surrounding the emergence of Senator Gbenga Daniel as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Ogun East in 2022 have become a subject of public debate, following detailed accounts from two key figures involved. Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, a former Commissioner for Health, and Hon. Biyi Adeleye, Special Adviser to the governor on Political matters have both shared their version of events, shedding light on the alleged backroom dealings that led to the nomination.
The two key political insiders have provided detailed, first-hand accounts of the events that led to Senator Gbenga Daniel clinching the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the Ogun East Senatorial District in 2022, countering what they describe as “lies flying around.”
The revelations, coming from high-ranking party members, paint a picture of a carefully orchestrated political manoeuvre brokered by traditional authority to ensure the former governor’s victory without a contest.
Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, former Commissioner for Health in Ogun State, offered a detailed timeline of the primary election day, stating:
“No local government delegate had voted before I arrived at Itoro Hall. In fact, Gov Daniel was at Awujale Palace from 10am on the same day, and I left him there to announce withdrawal on the instruction of Baba Awujale.”
“After my announcement, Gov Daniel arrived and insisted I follow him back into Itoro Hall to announce our support for his candidacy again which I did.”
“Thereafter, party officials and INEC observers announced the rules. Former Ijebu Ode local government chairman, Hon Babatunde Gazal gave a remark as the Chairman of the LGA and voting commenced.”
Dr. Ipaye concluded his testimony by saying, “I hope the above clarified all the lies flying around. I come in peace.”
His account is directly corroborated by Hon. Biyi Adeleye, the special Adviser to the governor on Political matters, who detailed the critical backroom negotiations that preceded the event at the primary venue.
“To collaborate with the Balogun of Ijebu Igbo, I was the one HE instructed to call all the LG chairmen in the East to cast all their votes for OGD, after all the parties had agreed to the candidature of OGD at the Awujale’s palace.”
Adeleye revealed that the intervention of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, was pivotal. He stated that the meeting at the palace was called at the instance of the incumbent Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun (often referred to as HE), to clear the path for Daniel.
“And it’s important to know that the meeting at the Awujale’s palace was called at the instance of HE, to pave the way for OGD, because SLM (a reference to another aspirant, Senator Lekan Mustafa) had everything needed to win that primary with the information at HE’s disposal.”
“Hence, we believed it would not be difficult for Awujale to beg SLM to give up the ticket to OGD without considering him a bad friend either way.”
Providing insight into the Governor’s motivation, Adeleye added: “I remember asking him if he had thought it through; his answer was How would he explain to anyone that a former governor could not win his senatorial ticket under his nose. It was the moral justification for HE at that time.”
Further investigations into the events leading to Senator Gbenga Daniel’s acquisition of the APC Ogun East senatorial ticket have yielded new corroborating evidence, directly supporting the accounts of Dr. Babatunde Ipaye and Hon. Biyi Adeleye.
Independent sources within the palace of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, have confirmed the crucial role played by the monarch in brokering the political agreement.
According to our findings, “We independently asked people at the palace of late Awujale if their accounts were correct, two of the members confirmed to us that it was true and Baba was very ready to assist Senator Gbenga Daniel to beg Senator Lekan Mustafa.”
The palace insiders added a personal detail from the encounter, noting, “They said Otunba Gbenga Daniel looked like a gentle person that day, according to the palace.” This observation underscores the personal appeal made by the former governor to the traditional institution.
Furthermore, this publication can confirm the central role of the state’s local government structure in executing the plan. The account given by Hon. Adeleye—that he was instructed by the Governor to direct all local government chairmen in Ogun East to deliver their bloc votes for Daniel—has been verified.
“We also confirm the story from two former local government chairmen, and all the local government chairmen were there to carry on the instructions of the governor, Dapo Abiodun.”
Amid the revelations surrounding his acquisition of the APC ticket, Senator Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s extensive political journey across the Nigerian partisan landscape has come back into focus.
The former governor’s political career has been marked by significant movement between major political parties, a detail that adds context to the recent behind-the-scenes efforts to secure his senatorial bid.
Investigations show that Daniel was a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Ogun State, was elected Governor in 2003 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after a high-profile defection.
After completing his two terms in office in 2011, his political trajectory continued to evolve. He later left the PDP for the Labour Party (LP), on which platform he contested a senatorial seat in 2015, though unsuccessfully.
His journey eventually came full circle with a return to the PDP, before his final and most recent move to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2021, the party from which he now serves as a Senator.
These combined testimonies suggest that the primary election was essentially a ratified formality, following a pre-arranged political agreement secured through high-level intervention to ensure Senator Daniel’s unopposed victory.
