Mr Olufemi Aduwo, President, Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDI), has described as unconvincing and misleading the narrative by Senator Gbenga Daniel that he has been excluded from the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
CCDI is a non-governmental organisation registered with CAC in Nigeria, and with a Consultative Status of ECOSOC/United Nations.
Senator Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State had alleged that he was persecuted and was prevented from attending an APC caucus meeting held in Ijebu-Ode.
However, Aduwo stated in a press release that attempts by the former governor to portray recent developments within the Ogun State chapter of the APC as evidence of exclusion or persecution were unconvincing and misleading.
According to him, such a narrative by Daniel reflected a selective reading of events and a disregard for the operational realities of party organisation.
Aduwo noted that the controversy surrounding the issue between Senator Gbenga Daniel and the APC caucus meeting in Ijebu-Ode has been overstated.
He further stressed that what occurred was a routine enforcement of accreditation procedures, and not any form of political conspiracy.
“No serious political organisation operates without rules governing access to its internal meetings. Accreditation is essential to order, security and institutional credibility.
“To present adherence to such procedures as victimisation is to fundamentally misread their purpose,” Aduwo stated.
He further stated that the APC in Ogun State, like any major political party, does accommodate internal competition and disagreement, adding that such should not amount to institutional breakdown, but inherent features of democratic politics.
Aduwo also referenced the 2023 electoral cycle, noting that allegations regarding Senator Daniel’s political alignment during the governorship contest inevitably influenced internal perceptions, regardless of their substantiation.
He maintained that despite the prevailing situation then, the party remained cohesive and recorded huge successes in the 2023 general election.
“It is a matter of record that Senator Daniel’s senatorial candidacy in 2023 emerged from internal party arrangements and political accommodation, including the decision of a sitting senator to step aside.
“This arrangement underscores the primacy of collective decision-making over individual entitlement,” Aduwo added.
He emphasised that a caucus meeting is not a platform for personal assertion but a regulated forum governed by rules binding on all members.
He therefore asserted that attempts by Senator Gbenga Daniel to recast the enforcement of such procedures as exclusion was disingenuous.
Commenting on the APC leadership in Ogun State, Aduwo stated that Governor Dapo Abiodun has demonstrated political responsibility by maintaining cohesion amid internal tensions through a balance of firmness and restraint.
He further advised that, at this stage of life of the former governor, it would be more constructive for Senator Daniel to embrace a reflective posture consistent with elder statesmanship.
He noted that prominent political figures in the state, such as Chief Olusegun Osoba and Senator Ibikunle Amosun, have transitioned into roles where their influence is exercised through counsel, rather than electoral contest.
Aduwo averred that political parties can only be sustained by discipline, not sentiment and cautioned against elevating routine procedural enforcement into a narrative of persecution.
