Ogun State governor Dapo Abiodun has claimed personal credit for the political rise of Senator Gbenga Daniel, insisting he played decisive roles in Daniel’s emergence first as governor in 2003 and later as senator for Ogun East on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

In a leaked video from a stakeholders’ meeting of the APC held at his Iperu-Remo residence, Abiodun told party leaders that his support for Daniel dated back to their days in the Peoples Democratic Party, when both men sought the governorship ticket.

Abiodun recounted that after losing the PDP primary to Daniel in 2003, he immediately collapsed his campaign machinery into Daniel’s structure to strengthen the latter’s chances at the polls. He described that decision as a turning point in Daniel’s eventual victory.

The governor also said his intervention was crucial two decades later, when Daniel sought a return to frontline politics as a senatorial candidate. According to Abiodun, he personally persuaded former deputy governor Segun Adesegun and then senator Lekan Mustapha, described as front-runners for the APC ticket in Ogun East, to withdraw from the race in favour of Daniel.

Abiodun expressed disappointment that, despite what he called “years of support,” Daniel had allegedly repaid him with “negative publicity and media attacks.” He said he had worked to reintegrate the former governor into the APC fold after assuming office, stressing that their political partnership had once been close.

The meeting also served as Abiodun’s platform to formally signal his own ambition to contest the Ogun East Senate seat in 2027. Addressing party stakeholders, he promised what he termed the “best representation ever” for the district if elected to the upper chamber.

Abiodun vowed he would not be “a back bencher” in the Senate, pledging to be an active voice for his constituents and to replicate, at the federal level, what he described as his record of performance as governor.

His declaration comes against the backdrop of Senator Daniel’s move to seek reelection, setting the stage for a potentially fierce intra-party contest between two political heavyweights who once campaigned on the same side.