The publicity secretary of the Gateway Movement, Comrade Olawale Ismail,, has strongly criticized Tunde Oladunjoye, the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, accusing him of habitual disrespect towards Otunba Gbenga Daniel, a former governor of the state and a current senator representing Ogun East under the APC banner.
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Ismail expressed his concerns over Oladunjoye’s recent actions, which he described as an abuse of his position within the party to launch unprovoked attacks on an elder statesman and Oladunjoye’s benefactor.
“This is not the first time Oladunjoye has misused his position to throw tantrums at Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who was instrumental in ensuring his acceptance in the Ogun State political space when he was nobody,” Ismail noted.
The controversy began on May 19, 2024, when a disparaging write-up against Daniel surfaced on various WhatsApp platforms.
Initially dismissed by the Gateway Movement as the work of “nitwits and idle hands,” the post gained traction when it was republished by credible news outlets, presenting it as the official stance of the APC.
Ismail clarified that the post was not an official party statement.
“Most of those who published it ascribed the social media post of an individual as the credible ‘voice’ of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). We hold our party in the highest esteem to know that the view of just an individual could not automatically translate to the stand of a whole party,” he said.
He further asserted that the party leadership did not authorize the statement. “Every inquiry made to the leadership of the party in the state returned negative, confirming our fears that a meddlesome interloper has no authority from the party executives or its leadership to release an official statement on behalf of the party on this matter,” Ismail stated.
Ismail emphasized that the APC in Ogun State is more organized and disciplined than the behavior exhibited by Oladunjoye. He stressed that while every Nigerian, including party members, has the right to personal opinions, elevating such opinions to represent the party’s official stance without authorization is unacceptable.
“There is a clear and distinct persona between a political appendage and the Office of the Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State,” Ismail remarked.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
