The Ogun State Government has condemned as reckless and misleading the comments made by the senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, against Governor Dapo Abiodun over the ongoing 260-meter rehabilitation of Paddy Arikawe Oye-Igbimo Road in Sagamu.
The government said rather than stirring controversy and seeking cheap popularity, Daniel should learn to respect due process, which he has consistently ignored.
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the government accused the former governor of deliberately distorting facts, inciting the public with false claims, and using pliant media outlets to promote discord and confusion in the state.
Akinmade explained that contrary to Daniel’s allegations of obstruction, the only directive given by the government was for the contractor handling the project, who had commenced work without notifying the state to regularise its operations by following laid-down procedures.
“Only a mind bent on mischief will describe adherence to due process as obstruction,” Akinmade said. “The same contractor has since accepted the government’s recommendations, which makes Daniel’s claims even more misleading.”
The governor’s aide questioned why Daniel remains the only federal lawmaker in Ogun State constantly embroiled in disputes over constituency projects, noting that others have executed projects without encountering resistance from the government.
“It is ironic that Senator Daniel, who spent years undermining state institutions while in power, now pretends to seek collaboration,” Akinmade said. “A genuine statesman would comply with established processes rather than attempt to impose shoddy and unsafe engineering works on the people.”
He further recalled Daniel’s past confrontations with the law, including his refusal to present documents for properties in Sagamu during a routine verification exercise, adding that such disregard for due process is unbecoming of a former governor and now a senator.
“Daniel, who is currently under suspension by his party’s state executive, has made it a pastime to attack the government at every turn. He complains about roads, yet how many did he construct as governor? Meanwhile, the present administration has built over 1,000 kilometers of roads across the state,” Akinmade stressed.
He concluded that while Daniel may continue his “media war,” the Ogun State Government under Governor Abiodun will never compromise the rule of law or endanger the public simply to satisfy the whims of a single individual.
