You’re not bigger than the state, Ogun tells Gbenga Daniel amid demolition crisis

Former Governor of Ogun State and Senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, has accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of allegedly ordering the demolition of his Sagamu private residence, The Asoludero Court, Conference Hotels Limited as well as the hotel annex in Sagamu.

Gbenga Daniel, in a statement signed by his media aide, Steve Oliyide, said that the order of the governor was conveyed in notices of contravention, quit and threat of demolition within the next three days which was pasted on the properties on Friday, August 8 at about 4pm.

Copies of these notices which were sent to journalists indicated among other things that the properties in question contravene the provisions of the 2022 urban and regional planning law of the state.

Gbenga Daniel has, however, described the allegation leveled against him as laughable and one that is deeply rooted in a thuggish and political vindictiveness at its highest level.

He explained further that, “This is a ludicrous and flimsy excuse, as the properties in question have been in existence for many years.

“For instance, the Asoludero Court was built in 2004, while the Conference Hotel, Sagamu was built in 2013, and the Annex since 2015.

“The governor’s administration is now attempting to use the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022 to demolish buildings that were legally constructed long before the law was even in existence.

Reacting to the allegations of the former Governor, the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Media, Kayode Akinmade, explained that the government wasn’t after the Senator but was only taking stock of the document validity of estates in the state.

He said “Senator Gbenga Daniel’s building happens to be within the Sagamu GRA and among those that were served notices as required under the Town Planning Law and Regulation of Ogun State. Many other structures were also similarly served. The exercise is a continuous one until the objective of government for the exercise is achieved.”

Kayode Akinmade said the process is not new. “It had been in existence and operated even during his tenure as Governor of the State. The GRA is a government designed and allocated estate and it is subject to regulatory and oversight functions of government in perpetuity.”

But Gbenga Daniel’s media aide maintains that The action was politically motivated and abused of rule of law.

He said “This action is not only politically motivated but also a blatant disregard for due process and the rule of law. The notices in themselves are clear breaches of procedures which allows adequate time.

He added that the notices came at the same time which shouldn’t be in a normal situation.

Reacting to that, Kayode Akinmade said “Nobody is bigger than the State. Senator Gbenga Daniel is distinguished no doubt, but he is not bigger than Ogun State. He should submit himself unreservedly to the same laws he once swore twice to uphold. He should refrain from elevating every issue of his contact with government institutions to a personal vendetta by Governor Abiodun, who obviously holds him in high esteem.”