As the 2027 Delta State governorship election gathers momentum, opposition candidates have intensified criticism of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration, faulting its economic policies and alleged failure to fully harness the state’s industrial and agricultural potential.
Oborevwori, who is seeking re-election, has continued to receive political support across the state, including recent endorsements from Urhobo traditional rulers and political leaders at both the local and national levels.
With political campaigns in the state commencing on September 9, candidates of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC) and African Action Congress (AAC) have, however, turned their attention to the economy, promising industrialisation, job creation and improved utilisation of the state’s natural resources if elected.
The NDC governorship candidate, Chris Iyovwaye, in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, criticised what he described as the underutilisation of Delta State’s industrial capacity, particularly against the backdrop of high youth unemployment.
According to him, Delta has a population of about six million, with youths accounting for about 60 per cent, many of whom, he claimed, are unemployed because of the state of the economy.
He said, “In the last census, Delta was estimated to have a population of about six million. 60 per cent of them are youths, and most of them are unemployed because the economy is in tatters.
“Delta State is an industrial hub; in the last count, we had over 35-40 companies that are either moribund or are alienating.
“We believe that if you put PPE in place, some of them can be revived so that the economy can be robust, our youthful population can have youthful engagement by going to good-paying jobs rather than having to drive the economy on giving them Keke (tricycle), or having to give them some palliatives that don’t make sense.”
Iyovwaye also faulted the state government for what he described as its failure to maximise Delta’s agricultural potential, arguing that the state’s fertile soil could support a major agribusiness-driven economy.
“Another thing that we have is the agricultural arrangement in Delta. We have an agrarian soil, very fertile and nothing has been done about agribusiness. That puts me off completely.
“I tell people, even cassava alone sold $171bn in 2025. Also, ethanol can be gotten from cassava, and all over the world, in the West, ethanol is used as biofuel.
“These are things that you grow every year and the kind of resources that can be generated from Delta in the industry, with hydrocarbon an icing on the cake,” he added.
Similarly, the AAC governorship candidate, Isaac Eshor, in a separate interview, alleged that the state government frustrated an agricultural investment initiative that he claimed could have attracted about $1bn to Delta.
Eshor said he had facilitated a Pan-African agricultural scheme designed to attract investment grants for agricultural development and create thousands of jobs across the state.
“I brought a Pan-African agricultural scheme that would have brought an investment grant capable of attracting about one billion dollars to the state for agricultural development.
“It would have brought at least 2,000 direct and indirect jobs for each local government, provided there are enough farmlands in the local government. But I was frustrated by this present administration,” he alleged.
The AAC candidate said that between 2023 and early 2025, he held a series of meetings with the Delta State Commissioner for Trade and Investment over the proposed investment.
He, however, alleged that the initiative failed to receive the necessary support from the state government.
Beyond agriculture, Eshor promised to address the state’s electricity challenges, saying he would provide 24-hour electricity by harnessing Delta’s abundant natural gas resources to power industries, businesses and households.
The opposition candidates’ criticisms come as Oborevwori continues to highlight his administration’s achievements in education, healthcare and infrastructure as he seeks another term in office.
