Former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel, has claimed that Governor Dapo Abiodun might not have secured the governorship seat without his political team.
NOP NIGERIA reports that Daniel and Abiodun have been at loggerheads since the beginning of the second term of the governor’s tenure.
The governor had expressed regret that some of those he helped to win the National Assembly election did not support his re-election.
He believed that if they had supported him, he would have secured an easy win over the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 election, Ladi Adebutu, who comes from the same Remo zone as the governor.
However, speaking with newsmen in his hometown, Sagamu, Ogun State, Daniel insisted that he worked alongside his team to secure Abiodun’s re-election.
He disclosed that political developments in Ogun PDP at the time influenced his eventual support for Abiodun’s governorship ambition.
“Without people like us and the grace of God, he probably wouldn’t have been governor,” he said.
The former governor expressed concern about what he described as a lack of adequate recognition of contributions made by political allies.
He said leadership should prioritise public interest over personal considerations, noting that he had avoided unnecessary political disputes by seeking legal redress where necessary.
“I think our duty as leaders is to be responsive and responsible to the expectations of the people,” he said.
As Ogun prepares for the next political cycle, Daniel called for mature leadership capable of consolidating development gains in the state.
“We need a mature person who appreciates that beyond ego and self-consideration, it is time to look at the collective interest of the state,” he said.
