Abiodun–Daniel Feud Escalates Over Alleged Planning Law Breach
Daud Olatunji
The simmering political feud between Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and his predecessor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, took a dramatic turn on Monday when state officials pasted “Sealing” and “Demolition” notices on two of Daniel’s prized properties — only to quietly remove them hours later.
The affected assets — Asoludero Court and the Conference Hotels, including its annex, located in the highbrow Sagamu Government Reserved Area — are multi-billion-naira investments owned by Daniel, now representing Ogun East Senatorial District.
The fresh notices, issued by the Sagamu Zonal Office of the Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority, on Monday, came barely three days after the state had served quit notices, citing alleged breaches of the Ogun State Urban and Regional Planning and Development Law No. 61 of 2022.
The “Sealing” and demolition notices, dated August 11, 2025, were posted on Monday shortly after a press conference was held at the Asoludero Court over the earlier contravention and quit notices served on the buildings by the officials.
The “sealing” notice stated that the properties were shut “preparatory for demolition” over alleged failure to comply with earlier contravention, stop-work, and quit notices.
Another “Demolition” notice, dated the same day, and pasted same time, gave Daniel three days to remove the alleged contravention or face demolition, with costs charged to him.
‘Governor Lacks Moral Right’ — Daniel’s Camp
The development triggered outrage from Daniel’s camp. His media aide, Steve Oliyide, accused Governor Abiodun of hypocrisy, insisting that the governor’s own Iperu residence should be the first target if the state was sincere in enforcing planning laws.
“Governor Dapo Abiodun lacks the moral right to serve us or anyone else with contravention and quit notices when his own residence is in breach,” Oliyide told journalists at Asoludero Court. “His house should have been the first to receive such a notice.”
Oliyide alleged that the governor’s home along the Iperu-Ode-Isara Road was built without the required setback from the highway and accused the government of selective enforcement aimed at creating political tension.
He likened the action to the September 2022 “midnight invasion” of a property linked to the governor’s wife in Ijebu-Ode, claiming it reflected a pattern of politically motivated enforcement.
According to Oliyide, the Sagamu properties were built in 2004 and had not undergone any fresh construction that could warrant new contravention claims. He questioned the legality of issuing contravention and quit notices on the same day, describing it as “a misuse of the law.”
The aide also challenged the government to produce the approved building plans allegedly lodged with the state during Daniel’s tenure, warning that the matter had already been referred to the former governor’s lawyers.
… Govt Makes U-Turn
In a twist, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Tunji Odunlami, later announced the withdrawal of the notices, denying that any of Daniel’s properties had been sealed.
Odunlami explained that the state’s ongoing urban renewal and permit verification drive was not targeted at any individual but part of a statewide process already carried out in Abeokuta and now ongoing in Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode.
“It is a simple, transparent process devoid of witch-hunting,” Odunlami said. “The identity of developers does not feature in our considerations — we are only enforcing the law for the public good.”
The commissioner urged Daniel to approach the Sagamu Zonal Office to regularise his documents, noting that the senator had yet to make any formal representation.
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