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APC catches Gbenga Daniel red-handed working for PDP in Ogun by-election

An All Progressives Congress (APC) senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, has been caught red-handed in anti-party activities in the recent by-election in Ogun state.

The off-cycle election, which took place on Saturday, August 16, 2025, was conducted to fill the vacant Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North federal constituency seat following the death of the previous occupant, Adewunmi Onanuga, in January.

The contest pitched two frontrunners - Adesola Elegbeji, the APC candidate and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Bolarinwa Oluwole - against each other.

Daniel is regarded as one of the top APC leaders in Ogun, giving his status as a former two-time governor and a sitting lawmaker. Therefore, the natural expectation was that he would back his party in the contest.

ALSO READ: Ganduje linked to ADC defection amid 'frosty relationship' with Tinubu

Daniel works against APC

However, leaked WhatsApp messages sent days before the election showed that Daniel had tried to sabotage his party by asking his loyalists to “mobilise all our people” to back Oluwole over the APC candidate.

An insider quoted by TheCable said the senator, who was out of the country at the time, instructed his supporters to back the PDP just as they had done in the previous election.

“Please mobilise all our people to vote the same way as before. I will support, as always — PDP,” read Daniel's WhatsApp message.

Meanwhile, he later deleted the message and blamed it on AI when APC leaders confronted him.

Sources said this was a repeated pattern, as the former governor also quietly backed the PDP during the 2023 governorship poll, working against the APC except in his own election.

APC leaders heard tell of Daniel’s instruction to his supporters and were alarmed, describing his action as a clear case of his “consistent betrayal” of the party.

APC drops hammer on Daniel for 'betrayal'

ALSO READ: 2027: Tinubu will be in trouble if Obi, Atiku run on single ticket - APC chieftain warns

However, it appeared the lawmaker's instruction had little or no effect on APC's luck, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Elegbeji the winner of the election on August 17, 2025.

The APC candidate scored 41,237 votes, defeating Oluwole, who garnered 14,324 votes.

Meanwhile, two days after the result was announced, the Ogun APC dropped the hammer on Daniel alongside Kunle Folarin, one of his loyalists, suspending them indefinitely over alleged anti-party affairs.

The party stated that its Ward 4 in Sagamu Local Government Area (LGA) set up a disciplinary committee to investigate allegations of misconduct against the former governor, adding that he was invited to appear before the panel to defend himself but failed to do so.

“Both members failed to respond to the invitations extended to them in writing, were unable to provide a written defence, and failed to attend the disciplinary meetings at which they were to be allowed to defend themselves,” the APC said in a statement.

All attempts to reach Daniel for comment failed as calls and messages to his phone went unanswered.

Daniel's face-off with Abiodun over 2027

Tension has been building between Daniel and Dapo Abiodun, the incumbent governor of the state. The two political stalwarts hail from the Remo region of Ogun, and sources familiar with the feud said it borders on 2027 politics.

According to insiders, Abiodun is nursing the ambition of transitioning to the Senate upon completing his second term in 2027, a move that presents a clear threat to Daniel retaining his seat.

The political rift has been linked to the Ogun State government's recent decision to mark the hotel and residence connected to the senator for demolition, a move currently being challenged in court.

ALSO READ: Tinubu gets 2027 boost as Kwankwaso's loyalist says 'nothing can stop his re-election'

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