….says suspension is valid and final

The Ogun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has fired back at supporters of Senator Gbenga Daniel, describing their recent press conference as a “sham built on deceit” and a desperate attempt to discredit his suspension from the party.

In a strongly-worded statement issued by the party’s Director of Publicity, Nuberu Adesanya Olufemi, the APC accused Daniel’s media handlers of stage-managing the event by parading “impostors” and coordinators of his private initiative, the Gateway Foundation, as “APC leaders.”

The statement read in part:

“The list of people his team is calling ‘APC Leaders’ in Ogun East is fake. These individuals are actually coordinators for his Gateway Foundation. Not a single ward or local government chairman was present on that list.”

Daniel, a former governor of Ogun State and senator representing Ogun East, was recently suspended by the APC over alleged anti-party activities. The party maintained that the suspension followed due process, dismissing claims from Daniel’s camp that it was politically motivated by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s 2027 ambitions.

The Ogun APC also faulted what it called “deliberate misinformation” from the senator’s media team, particularly regarding his party registration details.

“A basic check on INEC’s voter register confirms that Daniel belongs to Ward 04 of Sagamu Local Government, Ogun State. That easily exposes the fraudulent claim made by his spokesperson,” the party said.

The statement further defended the integrity of the State Working Committee (SWC), which ratified Daniel’s suspension.

“When this same State Working Committee ratified his candidacy for the Senate, did he complain then? The real question is whether the SWC acted within its constitutional powers and the answer is yes,” the party argued.

The party reiterated that Senator Daniel was “credibly accused of working against the APC” by allegedly supporting the opposition and campaigning against the party during the recent by-election in Remo Federal Constituency. It added that the evidence was corroborated by Daniel’s own media aide, who reportedly admitted that his principal did not work for Governor Abiodun.

According to the APC, Daniel “consistently ignored several invitations” to defend himself before the disciplinary committees at both ward and local government levels. The reports from these levels, the statement noted, were duly signed and forwarded for state ratification.

Concluding, the APC declared the suspension final, stressing that the window for an appeal has expired.

“The party’s decision stands. If the Daniel wailers want to wail, that’s their right; we can’t take that away from them. They can sustain their appeal on social media,” the statement concluded.

As of press time, Senator Gbenga Daniel and his media team have yet to issue an official response to the APC’s latest position.