BUT for providence, the Ogun State governor, Chief Gbenga Daniel, would have been a dead man now as he was allegedly poisoned and had to be rushed abroad for medical attention.



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In fact, the governor, is said to be currently acting slowly to state duties. These were revealed at a press conference jointly addressed by the Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr. Yomi Majekodunmi; the Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Wale Adedayo; the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Olugbemi Onakoya; Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Samuel, and other top government functionaries.

Dr. Majekodunmi said, “on my honour, I can tell you categorically and unequivocally that the governor was poisoned a few weeks ago. He had to be rushed out of this country for treatment.

“We thank God that he is okay. He has initial treatment abroad, came back and quietly went back for a few days for further treatment. That is why he is taking things slowly.

“The Speaker, Egbetokun, said they would never impeach Governor Daniel, but that there are worse things than impeachment. They want a declaration of a state of emergency.”

The government also on Sunday described as a set-up, the allegation of attempt on the life of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Honourable Tunji Egbetokun, by the Chief of Staff to the governor, Dr. Abayomi Majekodunmi.

The government also described the whole event as a drama, accusing the lawmakers of blackmailing the government over its refusal to pay each of them N20 million.

Dr. Majekodunmi stated that the lawmakers were expected at a luncheon at the Government House based on their request to pay a courtesy call on the governor after their return from a two-week legislative capacity tour abroad.

He accused some external forces of being behind the problems in the state in the last one and a half months. He said that their sponsors were out to destabilise the state.

“There are a lot of external forces in this matter. The time is up. Everything is in the open and let us move forward. We cannot continue to be docile and leave some people to destroy our future. All agents of darkness will be consumed concerning this state,” he said.

He explained that the Speaker gave him a call that they (lawmakers) would not be able to attend the luncheon again as some members were said to be away for one function or the other.

He said worried by this development, he called the Speaker again so that he could speak with him one on one, to discuss issues relating to the state and other private matters.

“I have firearms and I’m not hiding that. I have firearms in my possession since 2004 and its licence will expire by 31st December, 2008. I renewed the firearms consistently. I use it for gaming and in some cases, self defence.

“The whole incident was just like a drama.The Speaker, Tunji, who is my aburo, called me and asked for a courtesy visit on the governor since their return from the United States. I elaborately planned for a luncheon which was to come up on that fateful Saturday, but I later received a telephone call from the Speaker that they would not be able to meet up with the planned programme.

“I left the Government House on the express permission of my boss whom I told I was going to Osun State to celebrate with my sister, Princess Omolola Oyinlola (nee Majekodunmi), who was marking her 30th wedding anniversary. Considering the time, I went back home to collect my firearms because it was getting too late and these arms were put in my car boot.

“Apparently worried by this development, I called him back and asked where I can meet him so that we can talk on how to move the state forward and some other issues relating to the state. I offered to meet him wherever he was and he told me that I should meet him at the Legislators Quarters.

“I waited for the Speaker in front of his house for over 30 minutes and he came in with a retinue of aides, apologised and took me into his bedroom.”

Dr. Majekodunmi also stated that while the discussion lasted in the bedroom of the Speaker, various calls were received as he (Speaker), “who excused himself to receive calls and at a point in time, came in to inform me that some people who were suspected to be agents of darkness were seen within the quarters. I told him that my aides were not within the premises and that only my driver (Folorunso) and my security aide (Wale) were in my car.

“We were there talking and he would take calls and sometimes he would go out and at a time he came in and he was agitated and there was a cacophony of noise and he went out again and when I came out, I was confronted with the brutalisation. It was like a drama.

“I went in utmost good faith. A man who invited me to his bedroom showed that I meant no harm. If I was after anybody’s life, will I go there in broad daylight, park my car in the front of the house and enter his bedroom? That is preposterous.

“Some of the legislators had gone to obtain loans of about N15 million and they cannot pay and are now demanding for each one of them to be paid N20 million each. This is no oil rich state.

“We are aware of the infiltration of the governor’s security by their sponsors in Abuja doling out Trojan horses and huge amount in dollars. The money was traced to some elements in Abuja. Why would you give huge amount in dollars to a driver to compromise his integrity?

“We are daring them to impeach Governor Daniel and they will see. The legislators are paranoid. They want to destabilise and go to Lagos and Abuja for protection. There are a lot of external influence who want to destabilise the state and PDP. If we respect them, that does not mean we cannot look them in the face.”

Meanwhile, Egbetokun has denied the statement of the government. The Speaker, in a telephone interview with the Nigerian Tribune, said that the meeting at his quarters was called at the instance of Dr. Majekodunmi and not him.

He said that the arrested people were in the company of the Chief of Staff and that the people suspected to be hired assassins came into the legislative quarters in batches.

Honourable Egbetokun also denied allegation of demanding N20 million from the governor. ”We did not demand for money from the state governor and since we came back from our trip from the United States, we have not met the governor. The attack happened at the quarters because we did not attend the meeting.The attack will have occurred outside the legislative quarters if we had attended the meeting.This blackmail cannot be substantiated.”

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jul/7/610.html

make them no kill our Governor O!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please blame it on the occult people

I'm sorry he got poisoned and glad he's doing better but it irks me when they have no qualms saying a government officials "Go Abraod for medical treatment". How are the little people who can't afford to travel abroad supposed to feel?

Maybe the governor should learn not to eat with people he does not know.

I still doubt the validity of the story. Not just anyone can cook for a public official of the status of a governor.

i think the ogun state govt people have achieved their aims,i dont think its as serious as its been  reported considering the man has been doing his normal duties and the first newspaper that reported it with the reporter milking the most sympathy is gbenga daniel's own newspaper compass, with everything the man is going through politically from obasanjo and the state house of reps,from the tribunial and the very likelihood that he might lose e.t.c he needs as much sympathy as he can milk and he also needs to distract people

Mamajama:

Maybe the governor should learn not to eat with people he does not know.

I still doubt the validity of the story. Not just anyone can cook for a public official of the status of a governor.

i do doubt the validity as well especially because his own newspaper published it first with the greatest details and how he has been doing less work bla bla someone that was still in the papers doing his normal duties last week,as if his stomach is lined with antibiotics that wont hurt him

I'm sorry he got poisoned and glad he's doing better but it irks me when they have no qualms saying a government officials "Go Abroad for medical treatment". How are the little people who can't afford to travel abroad supposed to feel?

Nobody care how they feel. They are expectred to make use of our medical facility ( about half of the drugs are fake), or try traditional healers, there are Pastor and Imam too, your choice is endless.

by the time they all finish their trial and error on you, without diagnosis , you will never be the same again.

poisoned?

where, when and why?

tpia:

poisoned?

where, when and why?

abi oo
why rush abroad for treatment for everything.Does it mean we dont have competent doctors around here?shame !

Na wayo government we dey, paddy paddy government, lie lie government. Him for die!!

The Ogun State crisis deepened yesterday, with the lawmakers denying the government’s claim that Governor Gbenga Daniel was poisoned about three weeks ago.
Speaker of the House of Assembly Tunji Egbetokun told The Nation yesterday that there was no truth in the claim.

Egbetokun, who spoke from his Odeda constituency, said if the governor was poisoned he would have known as the number three citizen.

Egbetokun and 19 of his colleagues fled to their constituencies on Saturday following what he called the failed bid to assassinate him.

He said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had waded into the matter, adding that the House may sit in Abeokuta today if there is adequate security.

But a Lagos lawyer and frontline rights activist, Mr Femi Falana, called for investigation of the reported attempt on Egbetokun’s life.

Egbetokun said the lawmakers never planned to impeach Daniel, wondering how the governor and his aides came about such information.

"We are likely to sit tomorrow (today) in Abeokuta, provided there is adequate security. We (Egbetokun and the 19 others) will be leaving our constituencies either today (yesterday) or tomorrow for Abeokuta.

"We don’t have any plan to impeach the governor. I don’t know where they got that from. What we are asking for is that we should be allowed to do our job," he said.

Egbetokun said the PDP called for a meeting on the crisis.

He said he would attend the meeting if the other side agreed to drop its arms.

He queried why the government waited until now before talking of an assassination plot.

"It is just to appeal to people’s psyche. They are just looking for something of great proportion like the attempt on my life to whip up sentiment. It is not true. If they have learnt to keep it to themselves all these days why are they divulging it now? They should continue to keep it to themselves. It’s like a scam," he said.

Daniel’s Chief of Staff Yomi Majekodunmi had on Sunday denied leading armed men to Egbetokun’s residence on Saturday.

He said it was the governor who suffered food poisoning and was flown abroad for treatment.

But Egbetokun said he had not seen the governor since the lawmakers returned from their trip abroad.
http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

About time, owambe Governor,

how i wish these govs will meet blackout whenever they get the hospitals abroad so that the story will be different.
maybe the gov dey use juju for not dying after eating poision.
that gov shld be impeached for refusing to die after eating poision.
nigerian leaders shld learn to die whenever they eat poision. it is a standard practice everywhere in nigeria

this is about life and death and people are talking about abroad or no abroad. even in some developed countries, people are still being flown to other countries to be treated perhaps for security reasons.
make doctors treat am for im house make them come finish am off finally, abi? its not just about facilities but security.
ah ah critics, abeg when its a matter of life and death wait till he's well before una chop im head. lay down your guns and thank God he isnt dead. abi, do you wish your neighbour death?

pls, lets be constructive in our reasoning

Hmm, anything is possible in 9ja

I don tire for this Gbenga Daniel and his numerous stories. . . . he should just quit. . . . if he cannot work with power-brokers in the state then he should kindly fall on his sword so that the development of Ogun State is not hamstrung by top-level bickering.

who is this man anyway his post come up at least once a month