Delta State Commissioner for Works and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu has said that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori is not under pressure over the political activities and criticisms surrounding his administration.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Aniagwu said the governor’s opponents had resorted to propaganda and allegations because they could not challenge his performance, accountability and record in office.
“Yes. Let me make it very, very clear that we are not under pressure. The governor is not under pressure. And so, the only way they can proceed to do what they are doing is this form of propaganda and demarcating, claiming that governor wants to kill me, governor has sent people to me, governor has talks. They do all those things because that is the only weapon that they have now.”
He said political opponents had failed to confront the administration on its performance and instead focused on allegations against the governor. “And in which case none of these actors in the opposing camp can take on the issue of performance, on the issue of accountability, on the issue of probity.”
Aniagwu said the administration’s record provides evidence of its performance, which he said makes it difficult for opponents to challenge the governor on governance. “Because the governor has largely showed what we call in the whole lot of evidence of performance.”
He said the state government was not claiming to have solved all of Delta’s problems but maintained that the state was making steady progress. “The issue is that we didn’t say we are solving the problems in Delta. But the fact is that our ship is sailing very smoothly.”
Aniagwu also highlighted what he described as improvements in the state’s finances, including a reduction in its debt burden. “At the time, and I also recall many times I came to your studio, you talked about the debt to burden of Delta. To the extent that it hits as much as 450 billion. Today, that has gone down below 150.”
He said the state was financially stable and had sufficient liquidity to meet its obligations.
“We are not only solvent, but we are very, very liquid.”
The commissioner also cited the state’s approach to paying contractors as part of the administration’s record. “The only state that today, once we award a contract, we pay you 40% mobilisation.”
He said contractors no longer had to face prolonged delays before receiving payment for certified work. “The only state today that the moment you raise a certificate, you do not need to consult a native doctor or a spiritualist for your certificate to be paid.”
Aniagwu further defended the government’s handling of political disagreements in the state, saying recent incidents should not be presented as evidence of a wider political breakdown.
“There is no political tension in Delta.”
He also described the recent confrontation involving political supporters as a clash rather than an attack. “It wasn’t an attack that happened in a way look at government area.”
Aniagwu said the governor had directed that the peace in Delta must be protected and that anyone who undermined it would be held accountable. “The governor has also made it very, very clear that under no circumstances should anybody undermine the peace that was built in the state.”
He added that those found to have intimidated political opponents or undermined democratic values would face consequences. “Anybody who is found to have either instigated or intimidated from across the divide, the other person, or tried to undermine the democratic values that we have always preached in Delta, that that person indeed we brought to book.”
Aniagwu also addressed allegations concerning threats to the life of former Delta State Deputy Governor Ovie Omo-Agege, saying the government had made its position clear.
“We have made it clear that it is no threat to the life of our brother, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.”
He said anyone alleging that their life was under threat should present evidence to the appropriate security agencies. “If you claim that your life is under threat, you become the person accusing. It is the person accusing that will go to security agencies and put the evidence on the ground to say, look, based on ABC, I feel my life is under threat.”
On the 2027 elections, Aniagwu said President Bola Tinubu remained the party’s major project in the state. “Then when it comes to politics of 2027, let me also repeat it, that President Bola Ame Tunubu is our major project when it comes to that election, because he’s a candidate of our party.”
He said the government could not predict the outcome of the election but believed there were reasons to expect Tinubu to perform strongly in the state. “We are not, what do you call, soothsayer, but we believe that there’s enough reason for him to win.”
Aniagwu also said the wider challenge for Nigeria was to ensure that improvements at the national economic level translated into benefits for ordinary citizens. “The challenge of today… is the inability to be able to strike a marriage between what is happening at the macro level and then its effect on the micro level.”
Erizia Rubyjeana
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