Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The 2027 governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress in Delta State, Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, has called for greater accountability, transparency and job creation in the state, delivering a sharp rebuke to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori's Independence Day message and demanding that the administration publish a breakdown of how it has spent the state's revenues and federal allocations since 2023.
Iyovwaye made the call in a statement issued on Friday, October 2, 2026, in response to the governor's Independence Day address, in which Oborevwori urged Nigerians to embrace sacrifice, courage and patriotism. The NDC candidate said Deltans had made significant sacrifices and called for leadership that would demonstrate the same commitment through development programmes and policies. "With respect, Your Excellency, Deltans have sacrificed enough. What is missing is leadership that sacrifices," Iyovwaye said. "The Governor speaks of sacrifice from the altar of our sacred church, but sacrifice must be seen in the budget. Let us face facts".
At the heart of Iyovwaye's challenge is a demand for transparency in the management of Delta State's finances. He called for the publication of a detailed breakdown of how the administration has spent monies generated from internally generated revenues and allocations from the Federation Account between 2023 and 2026. "So in the spirit of trust, can you publish a breakdown of how your administration has spent monies generated from revenues and allocations from FAAC from 2023-2026," he asked. "How much of the FAAC windfall in 2025 went to capital projects that created jobs, and how much went to recurrent and political settlement?". The question goes to the heart of the debate over whether Delta State has translated its substantial oil revenues and increased federal allocations into tangible improvements in the lives of its residents.
The NDC candidate anchored his critique in a broader argument about the relationship between revenue and results. Citing the state's N1.664 trillion 2026 budget proposal, which included N720 billion from statutory allocation, N250 billion from internally generated revenue and N120 billion from Value Added Tax, he said the central question should no longer simply be how much revenue the state receives. "The more important question is: 'What measurable economic transformation are Deltans receiving in return for these substantial resources?'" he said. He also questioned the benefits of Oborevwori's decision to align the state with the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, saying that if alignment with the Federal Government was presented as an advantage, then the people were entitled to ask where the measurable benefits were.
Iyovwaye identified the revival of economic activities around the state's ports as a key avenue for job creation. "We have four ports – Warri, Koko, Sapele, Burutu – that can give jobs to 50,000 Deltans," he said. He also called for stronger delivery of basic infrastructure and public services, invoking the lived experience of ordinary residents. "Democracy is not just elections. It is clean water in Ndokwa. It is good roads in Warri. It is schools where our children can sit on chairs, not on the floor. It is hospitals with doctors," he said.
On workers' welfare, Iyovwaye acknowledged the state government's increase of the minimum wage to N77,500 but said rising living costs remained a concern. "Governor Oborevwori, Deltans are not lazy. We are not unpatriotic. We are tired," he said. He called for what he described as a "reset" focused on transparency, industrialisation, job creation and accountable governance. "What Delta needs now is not another Thanksgiving speech. What Delta needs is a 'RESET'. A reset to transparency, to industrialisation, to real job creation, to a government that publishes its accounts and respects the trust of the people," he said. He urged Deltans to remain engaged in the affairs of the state and combine prayer with civic responsibility. "I call on all Deltans to remain prayerful, but also to become watchful. Prayer built this nation, but accountability will save it," he added.
The intervention is the latest in a series of statements in which Iyovwaye has sought to position himself as the candidate best equipped to challenge the incumbent administration. In a separate Independence Day address delivered on Thursday, he called for a fundamental reset of the state, citing poverty, unemployment, insecurity, poor infrastructure and what he described as failed leadership. "A man who cannot feed his family is not independent. A young graduate who has no job after four years in university is not independent. A mother who cannot take her child to hospital because there is no hospital is not independent," he said. He argued that Delta State should reduce its dependence on federal allocations and build an economy driven by industrialisation, agriculture and investment, declaring that "Delta State should not be waiting for federal allocation to survive. That is laziness".
Iyovwaye has also rejected the endorsement of Governor Oborevwori by the Ukoko R'Ivie R'Urhobo, a forum of Urhobo traditional rulers, as the "sole candidate" of the Urhobo nation for the 2027 governorship election. In a statement on Saturday, September 26, he said he respected the traditional rulers but maintained that their endorsement could not override the constitutional right of Deltans to choose their governor at the ballot. "An endorsement, no matter how dignified its source, cannot supersede or extinguish Deltans' democratic right to choose their leaders," he said. He argued that the governorship was a sacred trust sought from all Deltans, not a title conferred by an ethnic consensus, and called on voters to assess the performance of the incumbent administration before deciding who to support in 2027.
The political context of Iyovwaye's intervention is one of intensifying competition in Delta State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, scheduled for February 6, 2027. Governor Oborevwori, who was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party but subsequently defected to the APC, is seeking a second term and has described President Bola Tinubu's re-election as his "number one political project". Iyovwaye, a first-time governorship candidate, is positioning himself as the alternative, framing the election as a referendum on performance and accountability rather than political alignment. The NDC's presidential candidate, Peter Obi, visited Delta State in September to launch the party's campaign secretariat in Asaba, pledging that an NDC administration would prioritise transparency, healthcare, infrastructure and the development of the Niger Delta. The coming months will determine whether Iyovwaye's message resonates with voters in a state where the politics of zoning, ethnicity and incumbency have historically shaped electoral outcomes. For now, he has placed his challenge squarely before the governor and the people of Delta State: publish the accounts, account for the windfall and make life affordable again.
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