Otunba Gbenga Daniel, the former governor of Ogun state has replied to allegations made by Professor Wole Soyinka that as governor, the former used the police to illegally close down the state House of Assembly.
Gbenga Daniel was appointed by former president, Goodluck Jonathan to be his campaign manager and the Nobel laureate made reference to it in the interview he granted Zero Tolerance magazine, a publication of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission. Soyinka castigated the former president for appointing Daniel as his campaign manager, claiming that Daniel used the mobile police to lock the state house of assembly for a year.
Soyinka said in the interview: “What about somebody like Gbenga Daniel who closed down a legislature for almost a year? When I heard this, I called Jonathan, I asked him, ‘is this your understanding of democracy”. A governor closes down an assembly with the aid of the police and the place is under lock with ‘Mopol’ guarding it. When Jonathan selected this person as his campaign manager in Abuja, I telephoned him; I said does this support democracy that you choose this person. It is not a question of this person is a governor therefore come to my party, I can work with him. No, when a president picks somebody for a particular duty it means you are pointing that person out as an aspect of government so you see, it is impossible for me to pick Jonathan as a candidate”.
Gbenga Daniel however denied the accusation and took to twitter to fire back at Soyinka. He said former president Olusegun Obasanjo was right to accuse Soyinka of not being a good political analyst. He also claimed to be more democratically inclined that Wole Soyinka who he said attempted treasonable felony.
1. My attention has been drawn to an interview granted by Prof Wole Soyinka to Zero Tolerance magazine on 2015 election among other things.
4. More attention should be given to the needs of the ruled as political office holders are, after all, public SERVANTS
Earlier, Soyinka talked about Jonathan in an interview with Premium Times where he claimed that the former president was caged during his tenure as president.
Gbenga Daniel was appointed by former president, Goodluck Jonathan to be his campaign manager and the Nobel laureate made reference to it in the interview he granted Zero Tolerance magazine, a publication of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission. Soyinka castigated the former president for appointing Daniel as his campaign manager, claiming that Daniel used the mobile police to lock the state house of assembly for a year.
Soyinka said in the interview: “What about somebody like Gbenga Daniel who closed down a legislature for almost a year? When I heard this, I called Jonathan, I asked him, ‘is this your understanding of democracy”. A governor closes down an assembly with the aid of the police and the place is under lock with ‘Mopol’ guarding it. When Jonathan selected this person as his campaign manager in Abuja, I telephoned him; I said does this support democracy that you choose this person. It is not a question of this person is a governor therefore come to my party, I can work with him. No, when a president picks somebody for a particular duty it means you are pointing that person out as an aspect of government so you see, it is impossible for me to pick Jonathan as a candidate”.
Gbenga Daniel however denied the accusation and took to twitter to fire back at Soyinka. He said former president Olusegun Obasanjo was right to accuse Soyinka of not being a good political analyst. He also claimed to be more democratically inclined that Wole Soyinka who he said attempted treasonable felony.
1. My attention has been drawn to an interview granted by Prof Wole Soyinka to Zero Tolerance magazine on 2015 election among other things.
4. More attention should be given to the needs of the ruled as political office holders are, after all, public SERVANTS
Earlier, Soyinka talked about Jonathan in an interview with Premium Times where he claimed that the former president was caged during his tenure as president.
