Gbenga Daniel, senator representing Ogun East, urged his supporters to vote for Bolarinwa Oluwole, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), during the August 16 by-election in Ogun State. This election was held to fill the vacant seat left by the passing of Adewunmi Onanuga in January.

In the days leading up to the poll, Daniel communicated with his loyalists through WhatsApp messages, as reported by TheCable, instructing them to “mobilize all our people” in support of Oluwole over Adesola Elegbeji, the candidate from the All Progressives Congress (APC). Sources revealed that Daniel, who was abroad at the time, encouraged his allies to back the PDP just as they had done in a previous election, promising them full support upon his return. “Please mobilise all our people to vote the same way as before. I will support, as always — PDP,” he stated in a message that he subsequently deleted and later attributed to AI when confronted by APC leaders.

Insiders noted that Daniel had previously supported the PDP during the 2023 gubernatorial election, seemingly working against the APC despite being one of its prominent figures in Ogun. APC leaders in the state expressed alarm upon learning of Daniel’s instructions to his supporters ahead of the by-election, categorizing it as a blatant act of “consistent betrayal” of the party.

After the by-election concluded on August 17, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Adesola Elegbeji of the APC as the winner, who received 41,237 votes, significantly outpacing Oluwole’s 14,324 votes.

SUSPENSION FOLLOWS ‘BETRAYAL’

Following the by-election on August 19, the Ogun APC suspended Daniel indefinitely, along with his loyalist Kunle Folarin, over allegations of anti-party activities. The Ogun APC revealed that Ward 4 in the Sagamu Local Government Area had established a disciplinary committee to investigate Daniel’s conduct. The party added that Daniel was invited to present his defense before the panel but failed to respond to the invitation and did not attend any disciplinary meetings.

“Both members failed to respond to the invitations extended to them in writing, were unable to provide a written defense, and failed to attend the disciplinary meetings at which they were to be allowed to defend themselves,” the party stated in an official comment.

Daniel did not respond to calls or text messages seeking his comments. Meanwhile, there are ongoing rumors of a growing rift between Daniel and Dapo Abiodun, the current governor of Ogun State. This tension has been exacerbated by the state’s decision to mark properties linked to Daniel for demolition.

Daniel served as governor of Ogun from 2003 to 2011 on the PDP platform and was elected to the Senate in 2023 after switching to the APC.