Former Ogun State governor and current senator, Gbenga Daniel, has formally declared his intention to return to the National Assembly, picking up his nomination and expression of interest forms under the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 elections.
Announcing the move via his X handle on Tuesday, Daniel said his decision was anchored on the need to sustain what he described as impactful and people-oriented representation for constituents of Ogun East Senatorial District.
The development comes despite an ongoing push within the party to adopt Dapo Abiodun as a consensus candidate for the senatorial ticket, a move that has triggered internal friction among stakeholders in the district.
The endorsement reportedly followed a stakeholders’ meeting held at Adeola Odutola Hall in Ijebu-Ode, where party leaders, grassroots mobilisers, elected officials, and various interest groups converged and backed the governor’s candidacy as a unified choice.
However, the process was marred by controversy after Daniel was allegedly denied entry into the venue, a situation his supporters have strongly condemned as a calculated attempt to sideline him from the race.
In a widely circulated video, the former governor lamented that he and his supporters were blocked from participating in the meeting despite arriving early.
Further strengthening the consensus arrangement, party figures including Lekan Mustapha were said to have endorsed Abiodun, describing the decision as a collective resolution reached in the interest of unity.
But Daniel’s loyalists, operating under the BATOGD Movement, have rejected the outcome, branding the exercise as exclusionary and inconsistent with established party procedures.
Speaking in Sagamu, the group’s spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Okunowo, argued that the process undermined internal democracy and disenfranchised legitimate party members.
