Former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel has accused his successor, Governor Dapo Abiodun, of applying double standards in the enforcement of planning regulations, pointing to alleged violations at the governor’s own residence while his properties face demolition threats.
The controversy intensified when Daniel’s media aide, Steve Oliyide, specifically highlighted Governor Abiodun’s private residence along the Iperu-Ode Road, claiming it violates setback regulations on the major highway. According to Oliyide, if planning laws were being applied uniformly, Abiodun’s property “should have been the first property to go down in the state for the infraction.”
The dispute began when the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority issued contravention notices targeting Daniel’s properties in Sagamu GRA, including his Asoludero Court residence, Conference Hotels, and its annex. The authority had initially sealed the properties before withdrawing the order citing procedural issues.
Speaking at a press briefing at Asoludero Court, Oliyide argued that Governor Abiodun “does not have the moral right to serve contravention order on anyone in the state” given his own alleged planning violations. The aide described the action as “clear political persecution and witch-hunting” that would be resisted through legal channels.
Daniel’s camp maintains that all properties in the Sagamu GRA have requisite government approvals already in state custody, yet authorities are “claiming ignorance because of ulterior motives.” They’ve called for President Bola Tinubu’s intervention to prevent what they term an attempt to throw the state into “avoidable chaos and crisis.”
The former governor’s representatives also questioned the legal procedure, arguing that serving contravention and demolition notices simultaneously violates the state’s 2022 Urban and Regional Planning law.
However, State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami, defended the exercise as routine urban renewal audits being conducted across government reservation areas, including Abeokuta, Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode, with plans to extend to Ota and Ilaro.
“This is a daily, routine, and ongoing activity of this agency and is devoid of witch hunting,” Odunlami stated, inviting Daniel to present his documents for verification at the Sagamu zonal office.
The confrontation has exposed growing tensions within the state’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), particularly as both political heavyweights eye the Ogun East senatorial seat in 2027.
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