By Pascal Ibe
Claim
A Facebook page, Progressive Nigerian Politics has posted a video clip of people prostrating before a man who is said to be a governor.
The Facebook page claimed the eight-second clip watched by FACTWATCH Nigeria depicted the deputy governor of Ogun and commissioners prostrating before Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State.
Progressive Nigerian Politics further claimed that the top government officials always prostrate before the governor whenever he is not happy with them.
The post reads, “This is Ogun State. Whenever their governor isn’t happy with them, this is how the deputy governor and commissioners come and apologise.
“People that are supposed to hold him accountable,” the post read further.
Persons who commented under the post believed the claim to be true and criticised the governor.
“This is what happens when a governor holds on to the revenue of the local government,” one of the Facebook users reacted to the video.
Verification
FACTWATCH Nigeria took some screenshots of the video and subjected them to Google Lens. Results from the search showed that the video clip was from September 2023.
This video was from when the local government chairpersons in August of that year paid a visit to Governor Abiodun after one of them, the Ijebu East Local Government Area chairperson, Wale Adedayo, accused the governor of diverting funds, a publication of Street Journal, an online newspaper, showed.
In the video, the council chairpersons were seen prostrating before the governor, seeking forgiveness over the comment made by the Ijebu East council chairperson.
Guardian Nigeria reported then that Adedayo had written a letter to former Governor Olusegun Osoba and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the manner in which local government funds were being spent.
He claimed that the 20 local governments in Ogun State were being run on zero allocation due to the joint account being operated by the State and local governments, saying the development had prevented local government chairmen from performing their functions to people at the grassroots.
The council chairperson also alleged that the bail-out funds and Ecological funds meant for the councils did not get to them, but were diverted by Governor Abiodun.
However, at the meeting held with the council chairperson in the state, apologies were tendered to the governor.
The Guardian later gathered that seven councillors, led by their leader, Fasheyi Adesuji, from Itele Ward 7, suspended Adedayo for three months.
The councillors said the legislative council received various allegations that needed to be investigated and directed Adedayo to appear at its next sitting.
According to them, 15 allegations were levelled against Adedayo.
Reacting to his suspension, Adebayo vowed to challenge his suspension democratically, describing his purported suspension as a “hoax and one that was forced down the throat of the lawmakers, having been allegedly baited with N1 million.”
The suspended chairperson of Ijebu East Local Government was later removed by the councillors on 14 September 2023.
However, in December 2025, the Ogun State High Court in Ijebu Ode nullified the removal of Adedayo as the chairperson of Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state.
Judge Catherine Ogunsanya, in her judgement delivered, awarded N30 million in general damages to Mr Adedayo after finding that the process leading to his removal was “illegal, null and void.”
Verdict
The claim of Ogun deputy governor and other commissioners prostrating before Governor Abiodun in the clip posted by Progressive Nigerian Politics is MISLEADING, as findings point to a different incident.
