Delta HOSTCOM disowns anti-Oborevwori article, asks DESOPADEC staff to wait for court
- Delta HOSTCOM says an article attacking Governor Oborevwori over DESOPADEC does not speak for the group.
- The article, by Swill Mavua, urged oil communities to vote against Oborevwori and the APC in 2027.
- HOSTCOM also asked DESOPADEC workers and management to keep peace until a court rules on a 30% pay dispute.
The Delta State chapter of the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) has distanced itself from an article that criticised Governor Sheriff Oborevwori over how the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) is run and funded.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Chief Comrade Sunday Ndidi Enujeke, and secretary, High Comrade Joseph Lamienghan, the group said the piece was written by Swill Mavua and was never adopted as its own position.
The article, titled “Oborevwori’s DESOPADEC Betrayal: Oil Communities Starved While Derivation Billions Vanish,” raised concerns about money for oil-producing communities and asked residents to vote against the governor and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
HOSTCOM said those political calls belong to the author alone. It asked media houses, government offices, political parties, oil companies, community leaders and the public to stop linking the article to the chapter.
According to the group, only statements cleared by Enujeke and Lamienghan should be treated as its official voice. It warned that using HOSTCOM’s name for personal political ends could mislead people and damage trust in the organisation, and said it may take lawful steps to protect its name.
DESOPADEC pay dispute goes to court
The statement also touched on a disagreement over a 30 per cent payment to DESOPADEC workers. HOSTCOM urged the workers and management to stay calm and let the court settle it.
It said the issues behind the dispute, including the commission’s funding, projects, legal duties and staff welfare, deserve serious attention. But it added that public talk on them should rest on facts and follow the proper channels.
For ordinary people in the oil-producing areas, the dispute matters because DESOPADEC is the body meant to channel development money into their communities. A drawn-out fight over pay and funding can slow projects and delay work that residents depend on.
HOSTCOM said it backs the goals of the governor’s MORE Agenda, which stands for Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms and Enhanced Peace and Security. It was quick to add, however, that this is not a blanket approval of every government policy, nor a sign that it has dropped its concerns about the commission’s statutory work.
It called for continued dialogue between the state government and host communities on jobs, infrastructure, environmental justice, transparency and welfare.
No endorsement yet for 2027
On politics, the group said it does not run campaigns. Instead, it plans town hall meetings across the oil-producing communities, which it said will start soon.
At the close of those meetings, the group said, it usually backs candidates it considers credible, and the oil-producing communities across the state’s 21 local government areas are expected to deliver them.
What happens next: The court is expected to rule on the 30 per cent payment dispute, and HOSTCOM says its town hall meetings will shape any endorsement ahead of 2027.
