Tension As Ogun APC Bars Senator Daniel From Zonal Meeting

Palpable tension enveloped the ancient city of Ijebu-Ode on Monday following the decision of the Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) to lock out the Senator representing the zone at the National Assembly (NASS), Otunba Gbenga Daniel, from attending the party’s caucus meeting held in the town.

The tension, which started as a minor altercation between the Senator’s political aides and some party chieftains in Ijebu-Ode, gradually snowballed into major disagreements that drew crowds chanting the Senator’s slogans, insisting that Daniel must be allowed entry into the venue of the APC caucus meeting.

It, however, took a personal intervention by Senator Daniel, who disembarked from Tinubu’s Presidential campaign bus en route to the meeting venue to douse the tension that had already sent jitters down the spines of non-party residents of Ijebu-Ode.

Daniel, who is the Senator representing Ogun East district at the National Assembly (NASS), had arrived at the Adeola Odutola Hall in Ijebu-Ode, venue of the party’s stakeholders’ caucus meeting, around 10. a.m, but was denied entry.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the APC’s Publicity Secretary for Ijebu-Ode Local Government had, in an invitation signed on behalf of the Council’s chairman, called for the presence of all critical stakeholders of the party at a caucus meeting scheduled for 11. a.m. at the Adeola Odutola Hall.

Critical stakeholders expected to attend the party at a caucus meeting included: all members of the state’s Governance Advisory Council (GAC), Past and present Council chairmen, past and present members of the State and NASS in the senatorial district, all former deputy governors, councillors, as well as the “Local Government 5 Pillars” among others.

Meanwhile, when Senator Daniel arrived at the gate of the Hall in the vehicle labelled “Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation”, he was refused entry on the orders of the Odogbolu Local Government Chairman, Babatunde Diya, who insisted that the directive was “from higher authorities in Ijebu Ode”.

The development, however, sparked a negative reaction that nearly resulted in a crisis in the area before Daniel himself doused the situation and called for calm from his supporters among the party’s faithful on the ground.

Addressing his supporters, Daniel appealed for calm amid what he described as victimisation by the “higher authorities in Ijebu Ode”, stressing that he would legally fight the injustice to the end.

Daniel, who spoke with the crowd of his supporters amidst a musical interlude, said: “We are here for the caucus meeting of our great party, but to my surprise, they have conspired and denied me from entering the venue. We will not accept this, and we will legally slug it out with everything within our power. Should they hold any meeting or make any decision here today without me, it will be null and void.

“Therefore, allow them to continue with their childish play, do not engage anyone in violence, consider all they are doing as children’s play that cannot stand”.