Gbenga Daniel justifies escape from Nigeria to avoid arrest

Posted by admin Governors, Latest Politics, National Politics, Ogun, State News Sunday, May 29th, 2011

The Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has justified his decision to travel out of the country before the May 29 handing over date to a new administration, adding that his predecessor, Chief Olusegun Osoba, never attended his swearing-in ceremony.

Daniel on Friday night left the Murtala Muhammed International Airport aboard British Airways around 11: 40 pm.

The last state function attended by the governor was the handing over to the new governor-elect, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented by his deputy, Prince Segun Adesegun, at the Governor’s Office, Oke Mosan in Abeokuta on Friday night.

Daniel was accompanied to the airport by his Aide de Camp and the Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Sina Kawonise.

Kawonise, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent in Abeokuta on Saturday, justified the decision of the governor to travel out of the country, adding that he was with the governor up until the moment of departure at the airport.

He argued that the governor had worked in the past eight years without leave and that he went on the trip at the consent of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Kawonise said, “He went to London with the express knowledge of the President. He told Jonathan two weeks ago of his intention to travel out of the country once he hands over. He told the President that he will travel to rest and come back after two weeks.

“I was with him as he was boarding the aircraft and nobody raised any issue. The immigration officials, the EFCC and the ICPC officials were all there at the departure lodge till the moment he left.

“He was being hailed and saluted by the people around, so he did not run away as being speculated in some quarters. Run away from whom and run away from what? As I am speaking with you, not even a single allegation was levelled against him before EFCC or ICPC or any relevant agency. But his detractors had been making all sorts of speculations around.”

The Media Assistant to Daniel, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, also denied that the governor fled the country. He described the allegations as “another many lies being bandied about by political opponents.”

He said the former governor had informed all the security chiefs in Ogun State three weeks earlier about his intention to leave the country for a short rest on May 27, adding that all relevant authorities who should be conventionally notified were also in the know of the governor’s trip.

“Again in 2003 Otunba Daniel’s predecessor did not attend the swearing in ceremony of the new governor and therefore there is nothing extraordinary in Otunba Daniel travelling out at this point,” Adegbenro added.

Meanwhile Osoba and the Action Congress of Nigeria on Saturday condemned Daniel’s trip to the UK.

Osoba, Oladunjoye and the ACN spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent in Abeokuta.

Osoba who initially declined comment on Daniel’s trip said, “I don’t want to talk about Daniel because he hanged me after I left office and as a Christian, I will not want to hang him in return after he left office. I do not want to repeat what he did to me when I left office. I don’t want to talk on his stupidity.”

Osoba while reacting to Daniel’s defence maintained that he handed over to him, saying,” It is totally untrue. I handed over to him in a ceremony that took place in the Governor’s Office witnessed by over 200 people and I signed the hand over documents at a public ceremony on May 28, 2003.”

Osoba stated that the handing over ceremony was not done at the swearing-in ceremony, adding that the outgoing governor had no role to play at the swearing-in ceremony.

The ACN in its reaction described the trip embarked upon by Daniel on Friday as a serious security lapse and charged Jonathan to leave no stone unturned to ensure the immediate repatriation and prosecution of the governor for crimes perpetrated while in office.

In a press statement signed by the party’s publicity secretary in the state, Mr. Sola Lawal, the party said Jonathan, should investigate how Daniel was able to glide through the security agencies to the UK.

The party questioned why the security agencies should allow such a slip, adding, “We hope that his case will not turn out to be like that of the erstwhile Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, whose trial for corruption was fraught with legal hurdles while he was sojourning in Dubai

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