Daniel became the governor of Ogun State in 2003 on the platform of PDP
Ogun State former Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has finally decamped from the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Daniel, who was a major stakeholder of the main opposition party, had in 2019 led the campaign team of defeated PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku.
Newsheadline247 learnt the former Ogun State governor is expected to pick up the membership card of APC before the registration of new members closes on Tuesday.
Daniel, in a statement, expressed apologies to his former party for the short notice on his decision to quit the opposition party adding that his support for the current governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, was a pointer.
He stated further that the decision took a speedy curve with the request of the national caretaker Chairman of APC to visit him along with three governors.
“I thought I should quickly brief the house before the news goes viral,” he said.
The statement made available to the media read;
“Dear Friends & Colleagues, pardon my short notice in informing you of my route to the APC which as you might have suspected started with my supporting Governor Dapo Abiodun during the last election.
“I have since experienced an avalanche of encouragement to come on board.
“However in the last 48 hours, things took a dizzying speed with the decision of the APC National Chairmans request to visit me at Asoludero on Wed with about 3 Governors. While planning for the visit Governor Abiodun also decided to visit me later today with another set of Governors later today. It, therefore, means that I have finally been ‘captured’
“I thought I should quickly brief the house before the news go viral.
Thanks for your understanding OTUNBA GBENGA DANIELS.”
The announcement of the former governor’s defection came less than 24 hours after Iyiola Omisore, a former Social Democratic Party (SDP), governorship candidate in Osun State, defected to the APC in the State.
Daniel became the governor of Ogun State in 2003 on the platform of PDP after he defeated incumbent Olusegun Osoba in one of the state’s keenly contested guber elections. He went further to win again in 2007 when he thumped another former governor, Ibikunle Amosun, to earn his second term in office.
In March 2019, Daniel was under intense pressure to lead his supporters from the opposition party to the ruling APC in the state following the announcement of his resignation from PDP. The development came weeks after Atiku had been roundly defeated in the presidential election.
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