Opinion
Power, Memory and Ambition: Inside Abiodun’s Senate Gamble
A political dispute emerges in Ogun East over competing accounts of the 2023 Senate election and rising tensions ahead of 2027
By Victor Ojelabi
In Ogun politics, memory is often short and ambition is rarely patient. That is why the recent video of Dapo Abiodun, making an emotional case for his Senate ambition, has stirred more than just sympathy. It has reopened old arguments, revived buried tensions, and forced a closer look at the truth behind the 2023 Ogun East senatorial contest.
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The governor, nearing the end of his tenure, appears eager to transition smoothly into the National Assembly. In the now-circulating clip, he presents himself as a key architect of the emergence of Gbenga Daniel as senator in 2023. It is a claim that, on the surface, suggests loyalty rewarded and political generosity extended.
But politics in Ogun East is rarely that simple.
For many observers, the tone of the governor’s appeal raises eyebrows. This is a man long perceived as firm, even forceful in the exercise of power.
Seeing him adopt a softer, almost pleading posture has struck some as a sharp contrast to the image he cultivated while in office.
It is this contrast that has fuelled questions about whether the narrative being pushed is one of convenience rather than fact.
At the centre of the debate is a straightforward question: did Dapo Abiodun truly play a decisive role in Gbenga Daniel’s path to the Senate?
The historical record suggests otherwise.
The journey that brought Gbenga Daniel back into frontline politics was neither accidental nor dependent on gubernatorial backing.
After serving two terms as governor between 2003 and 2011, Daniel had stepped back from partisan contests.
His return was gradual, strategic, and anchored on structures he had built over years. By the time he formally joined the All Progressives Congress in 2021, he was not a political novice seeking endorsement but a seasoned actor reactivating an existing network.
Across Ogun East, his influence remained intact. From Remo to Ijebu divisions, his grassroots connections and loyalty base placed him ahead of most aspirants even before the primaries began.
What followed in 2022 was less a coronation and more a contest of influence.
Within the APC, factions had already taken shape. On one side were loyalists of the sitting governor. On the other were remnants of the camp aligned with Ibikunle Amosun.
Daniel, though newly integrated into the party, operated largely outside these traditional blocs, relying instead on his independent political machinery.
Accounts from that period showed that Governor Abiodun was not in support of Daniel’s Senate ambition.
Party structures under his influence were reportedly directed to withhold backing. There were also administrative pressure on individuals seen to be aligning with Daniel’s campaign.
Yet, despite these headwinds, Daniel’s campaign gathered momentum.
The primary election, held in Ijebu Ode, was already tilting in his favour as delegates cast their votes. Early indications showed a clear lead. It was at this critical juncture that a different kind of power entered the equation.
Oba Sikiru Adetona, one of the most influential traditional rulers in the region, stepped in.
His intervention reshaped the outcome in a way that political manoeuvring alone could not have achieved. Through his mediation, the then incumbent senator, Olalekan Mustapha, agreed to step down.
With that decision, the field effectively cleared.
The numbers that followed reflected what had already become evident. Daniel secured an overwhelming majority of delegate votes, leaving little doubt about his dominance in the race.
What could have been a prolonged intra-party struggle was resolved swiftly, not through executive backing, but through a combination of grassroots strength and traditional influence.
By the time the general election arrived in 2023, the momentum was firmly on his side. Victory at the polls only confirmed what the primaries had already demonstrated.
This sequence of events complicates the narrative now being advanced.
If anything, it highlights the limits of gubernatorial control in a political environment where history, loyalty, and cultural institutions still carry weight.
It also underscores the enduring relevance of traditional authorities in the South West, particularly in places like Ijebuland, where their word can recalibrate political equations overnight.
None of this diminishes the reality that alliances in politics are fluid.
Otunba Daniel himself had, at an earlier point, supported Abiodun’s governorship bid, contributing to a narrow electoral victory.
But support in one cycle does not automatically translate into control in another.
Today, as the contest for Ogun East ahead of 2027 begins to take shape, the lines are once again being drawn.
The relationship between the two men has clearly evolved from cooperation to competition.
What the current moment reveals is not just a clash of ambitions, but a contest over narrative. One side seeks to frame history as an extension of its influence.
The other stands on a record built through independent mobilisation and timely alliances.
For voters in Ogun East, the question may ultimately come down to credibility.
Beyond campaign rhetoric and emotional appeals lies a more enduring consideration: who truly understands the dynamics of representation, and whose track record aligns with the expectations of the people?
Is it someone who left Oke Mosan and came back after 12years with overwhelming supports to win the senate seat or someone who is yet to exit Oke Mosan, yet has more than half of Ogun people wishing he was never a governor?
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In the end, politics may allow for reinvention, but it rarely permits a complete rewriting of events.
So Dapo, stop lying.
Ogun East political marginalisation concerns grow as fears mount over losing ranking influence ahead of the 2027 elections
By Jimmy Enyeh
Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Araraume as the middle name connotes has literally won so many battles through God, dedication, perseverance and hardwork. He has to the admiration of his admirers conquered the business, politics and academics terrains.
He is not your run-of-the-mill politician and also not given to the arrogance of power and the idiotism of conquest.
Araraume despite his towering image and enviable status has remained selfless, unassuming and accessible. Little wonder, party faithful from his senatorial district adore him with quantifiable passion.
In spite of not having the advantage of incumbency, he won the APC Imo North Senatorial primary in a landslide across 64 wards and this has proven that he’s a political juggernaut who’s in touch with the grassroots.
Based on this, many commentators argue that Araraume is the right man for the job. But even in victory, his political enemies have not relented as his detractors have gone to town with the tale that Araraume had withdrawn from the race.
The likeable politician may have paid his dues in politics, and this much was attested to by many as one of the reasons for his victory at the primary.
The elite consensus on Araraume’s qualification and competence to represent Imo North Senatorial district may have been succinctly expressed when Barrister Martin Chukwueke, SAN said of Araraume “It was Francis Bacon, the great British philosopher of the Renaissance who once said that some are born great, some achieve greatness, while others have greatness thrust on them. As for Senator Araraume, Bacon’s second offering applies to him, he achieved greatness by finding grace of Almighty God. Without mincing word, Araraume is the best man for the job of representing Imo North at the Senate.
Though many spoken to have described him as the best man for the job, that may still need further qualification!
Does his resume support the claim of being the best hand for the constituents of Imo North at the Senate?
Yes, as further investigations have revealed. Araraume was appointed the Chairman, Board of Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), in the wake of implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). He was the senator who represented Imo North at the 9th Nigerian National Assembly from 1999- 2007 running on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform.
According to Chima Nwokocha, his two terms in the Senate has made him ” the most competent and experienced among those vying for the position. He understands the working of the Senate, not to talk of his extensive network that cut across party line in the Senate. All this will count for him if he wins the general election, and by God’s grace, he will win.
After taking his seat in the Senate in June 1999, Ararume was appointed to committees on Communications, Police Affairs, Federal Character, Finance & Appropriation, Information and Niger Delta (vice chair) among others.
He has proven that with determinationand honesty, it is possible to surpass expectations with accomplishments that are in awe and too numerous hence difficult to capture all in this piece.
There are some notable accomplishments associated with Ararume while in the Senate. For instance, he fashioned and presented the Presidential Library Bill in the senate; fashioned and presented the Bill for the Establishment of Coastal Guards and Arming of Nigeria Security Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Araraume was instrumental to the amicable resolution of some of the major political, ethnic and religious conflicts in the country, particularly in the Niger Delta between 1999 and 2007.
He equally advised the Senate severally on the adoption of the Legislative Approach to conflict resolution; participated in several fora both locally and internationally to press for the cancellation of Nigeria’s foreign debts by Creditor Nations; acted as a key member of a group of Legislators who worked and implemented strategies for harmony between the Legislature and the Executive; participated in the passage of major bills, ratification of treaties and agreement by the Senate between 1999 and 2007.
In addition, Araraume participated in Local and International Workshops/Seminars on parliamentary practice and procedures; participated actively in the conception and passage of the Bill that gave birth to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); played a major role in the inclusion of Imo and Abia States in NDDC.
It is therefore, not strange when he received the Best Serving Senator of the South East (2003 – 2007) award by Encomium Magazine and NATIONAL WAVES’ Life Time Achievement Award among others.
Janet Afigbo, a doctoral student of psychology said “Araraume believes that the essence of holding political appointment either elective or appointive is to bring development to the people and to touch their lives positively and meaningfully. In view of that he has secured many employment opportunities /political appointments for sons and daughters of his constituency and Imo state in general.
Besides awarding scholarships and providing educational support for some students, he singlehandedly built a secondary schools, constructed roads and build churches.
He also provided transformers and ensured the electrification of some communities in Imo while still serving as a senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
As a man, who maximizes every opportunity, Senator Ararume, used his good offices as National Commissioner on the Board of Nigerian Communication Commission representing South East to secure employments opportunities for sons and daughters of this country inspective of their tribe or religion.
His words: “My major target in politics is to attract massive development to my great Constituency, vigorously pursuing human capital development and institute programmes and policies that will better the lives of my constituents’ ndi Imo and Nigeria in General. Pursuant to that target, he has acquitted himself creditably and proved that politics is mainly for service to the people and not for personal aggrandizement being a wealthy son of Okigwe before getting involved in politics.
Nwokocha noted that for a man that once contested for governorship of his state, ” must have travelled many miles politically. He actually won the PDP primaries in 2007 to run for governor of Imo State. The party chose to run Charles Ugwu in his place. Araraume protested this decision and secured a Supreme Court ruling in his favour. But the shenanigans of the party in Imo state robbed him of his victory by expelling him.
Olu Anjorin, a political scientist said of his expulsion at the time. ” There’s no doubt that PDP in Imo state in 2007 backstabbed their best candidate, Ifeanyi Araraume, whose political stature as a giant made his detractors looked like dwarfs.
” That singular incident of expulsion and their choice chose not to field a candidate, left the field open for Ikedi Ohakim of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA).
For a man to claim eminence in qualification to represent his people must have demonstrated capacity to manage business concerns.
Benson Abariye, watcher of Imo politics said Araraume is actually ” a rounded political figure who actually looms large in a triad of political experience, business success and resounding academic achievement.
Apart from being member of many boards, he has flourished in private business. No wonder, The National Waves publisher stated that Araraume’s business acumen was exceptional
“Senator Araraume has performed excellently well in the business sector through Exclusive Stores and other flourishing companies and this made him a role model to many people”
Ararume was born on December 16, 1958 at Isiebu, Umuduru in Isiala Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria to late Marcus Ararume and Adaezi Grace Ararume (Nee Anyiam). He started his formal education at Saint Christopher Primary School, Umuluwe, Ajirija in Isiala Mbano. He completed his secondary education at Dick Tiger Memorial Secondary School, Amaigbo after previously enrolling at Sapele Technical College, now in Delta State. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and a Masters Science Degree (M.SC) in International Relations from the University of Benin. He has PhD degree.
■ Jimmy Enyeh is a journalist and publisher
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