As another governor joins 'assault' on journalists, free press

As another governor joins ‘assault’ on journalists, free press

By Ehichioya Ezomon

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has reportedly extended his executive tentacles to the Delta State House of Assembly, where he barred journalists from coverage of the midterm report of his administration’s stewardship since May 29, 2023, when he took office to steer the ship of “The Big Heart Of The Nation” for four years till 2027.
Rather than the normal press conference or interaction with journalists to showcase his “achievements” in the first two years in office, Rt Hon. Oborevwori took the ceremony to the Delta Assembly, where journalists were locked out of the chamber – with visuals showing them milling outside the gate of the complex in Asaba, Delta’s capital city.
A May 29, 2025, report by The Townhill, states that: “A sad occurrence took place yesterday (Wednesday, May 28) at the premises of the Delta State House of Assembly, as over 20 journalists drawn from the mainstream and Online media, who were there to cover the governor’s address marking his second year in office, were disdainfully denied entry.
“They stood outside the gate of the Assembly while the governor was presenting the address, after which he laid it on the table as if he was presenting the yearly Appropriation Bill.
“The media houses barred were: ThisDay, Punch, The Guardian, New Telegraph, Quest TV, Odenigbo Radio, Business News, Emerald News, Nigerian Tribune, Express News, Ndokwa Vanguard, Spade News, Gallant Reporters, Douba Post, Daily Independent, Leadership, Blue Print, The Story, National Pilot, The Hill and National Light.
“As a norm, former Governor James Onanefe Ibori and his successors (Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Dr Ifeanyi Okowa) usually held periodic media chats, particularly like yesterday’s occasion, until the incumbent Governor Oborevwori stopped it, opting to use the hallowed chamber of the State Assembly to address Deltans instead.”
This comes on the heels of Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno banning Channels Television crew from the Government House press centre, Uyo, the capital city, for “daring” to file a report on his remarks, publicly confirming his plans to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the crucial 2027 General Election.
At the State Executive Council (Exco) meeting on May 22, Eno, confirming his speculated decision to leave the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), directed his appointees to follow him to the APC, or resign their appointments forthwith. Noting that, “anybody who claims he is not aware of my intention to leave the PDP is still living in the 18th century,” he warned that he’d nothing to negotiate with anyone unwilling to follow his political direction.
“Apart from elected officials, like House of Assembly members and Local Government chairmen, I have nothing to negotiate with you (his appointees),” Eno declared, boasting, “Let me tell you, anybody who believes that when I leave the PDP he will use the party structure to fight me is lying because I will still control the PDP structure.”
These were the remarks the Channels TV crew filed that earned it Eno’s ban from the Government House press centre on May 25.
Media reports on Eno’s alleged action noted that the broadcast “caused embarrassment within the governor’s camp, prompting swift action from the state’s media handlers,” adding that, “the governor was so furious he wanted to sack Ekerete and disband the entire press corps” – referring to Ekerete Udoh, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary.
The actions of Chief Oborevwori and Pastor Eno – and similar behaviours by other government officials and institutions – are a direct and grave assault on the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, which recognises and mandates the mass media to hold government and its officials to public account.
Section 22 of the amended 1999 Constitution of Nigeria provides that, “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold… the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people.”
This power, conferred solely on the media, elevates the press to the “Fourth Estate (Arm) of the Realm (Government) – the other arms being the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary. It’s this authority that Oborevwori and Eno tried/try to subvert by banning and/or barring journalists from coverage of their official activities.
The governors can’t even come under Section 39(3) of the Constitution, which authorises withholding of information received in confidence, as enforcing such confidentiality shall derive only from “any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society.”
Which law supports Oborevwori’s prevention of journalists from covering his midterm report at the House of Assembly? Was the report confidential in line with the Constitution? And which law did Eno rely upon to persuade, if any, the Channels TV crew from reporting his remarks on plans to defect to the APC?
Not surprising, a similar thread holds Oborevwori and Eno together. They hail from the South-South geographical zone of the Niger Delta. They’re first-term governors elected in 2023 on the platform of the PDP, which had ruled both states since 1999. The governors acted in regard to their second-year anniversary in office, in readiness for re-election in 2027 under the APC.
Governor Oborevwori’s officially been received into the APC, along with his predecessor and the PDP vice presidential candidate in the 2023 General Election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, elected and appointed officials from the national to ward levels, and members and the entire party structure.
Having also officially announced his defection – along with his elected and appointed officials, PDP members and party structure from his “beloved PDP” on Friday, June 9 – Eno awaits an opportune moment to make a public show of being received into the APC.
And as there’s nothing to hide any more, won’t it be incumbent on Governor Eno – if he hadn’t done so – to rescind, and lift his ban on the Channels TV crew, to be free to access the press centre at the Government House, Uyo?
Let it not be assumed that Oborevwori and Eno’s actions against journalists are in character with the public perception, and belief that the APC and the Federal Government of President Bola Tinubu confer on the party governors immunity to act with impunity, and “nothing will happen.”
This claim, which swirls in the camp of the opposition – whose governors aren’t better in dealing with journalists – aligns with the soundbite that, “Once you join the APC, all your sins will be forgiven.” Hence the reported exodus of opposition politicians to the APC, to “avoid” the anti-graft agencies’ searchlight and dragnet!
Yet, if we blame Governors Oborevwori and Eno for their obviously unconstitutional posturing towards the mass media, shouldn’t we also query the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), that’s supposed to oversee the welfare and security of its members, but kept mute in the face of the Oborevwori and Eno actions in the Delta and Akwa Ibom councils?
While the Akwa Ibom NUJ didn’t protest Eno’s banning of Channels TV’s crew from the Government House press centre for carrying out its constitutionally-obligated assignment; the Delta NUJ’s seeming reaction to Oborevwori’s locking out of journalists from the Delta Assembly was beggarly, and an afterthought.
The nearest the NUJ officials came to such a conclusion was a reference to Section 22 of the Constitution, and why Oborevwori hasn’t followed the tradition of his predecessors to engage regularly with the press.
As reported by Banneronlinenews on May 30, a statement by the Delta NUJ Chairman, Comrade Churchill Oyowe and Secretary, Comrade Victor Sorokwu, partly reads: “In a functional democracy, effective governance cannot thrive without deliberate and transparent communication with the media. Unfortunately, under the current administration, media engagement has been largely selective, inconsistent, and insufficiently structured.
“Past administrations, especially under Chief James Ibori and Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, demonstrated strong media relations by institutionalising quarterly press briefings and media parley sessions that created platforms for open, direct interaction between journalists, the governor and government officials. While Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa made modest efforts in this regard, his administration lacked the consistency and broader inclusion needed to sustain such engagement.
“We are concerned that the current administration has allowed this tradition to lapse, thereby widening the gap between the government and the organised media. If left unaddressed, this could have adverse consequences for public trust and how the administration is ultimately assessed in the annals of history.
“Let it be made clear: this intervention is not driven by animosity or self-interest, but by a genuine desire to see the government succeed in deepening democratic ideals. It is an objective and professional reflection of our constitutional responsibility as the Fourth Estate in Government.
“The good news is that it is not too late. The Governor has both the time and the opportunity to recalibrate his media engagement strategy. We urge His Excellency to embrace a more transparent, inclusive, and constitutionally aligned approach, anchored on regular, statewide press interactions via live broadcasts, radio, television, and physical briefings involving journalists across all media platforms.
“As a Council, our mission is not to confront, but to constructively chart a course that advances both governance and journalism in Delta State. We are ready to partner with the government in building a vibrant culture of openness, accountability, and mutual respect between the state and the media.”
Of course, the Delta NUJ didn’t forget to praise Oborevwori’s increased stipends to journalists, and his two-year achievements in office. “We acknowledge and appreciate the 100% increase in stipends to some journalists across the state. Though modest, this gesture signals a recognition of the media’s vital role in promoting democracy and development.
“However, this gesture has not assuaged expectations of Journalists in Delta State. The NUJ Delta Council calls for a greater responsiveness in the area of media engagement and public accountability.”
Listing the governor’s achievements, the NUJ said: “From the implementation of the new minimum wage, regular payment of workers’ salaries, to pensioners to women and youth empowerment initiatives; infrastructure projects – roads, drains, bridges, and flyovers – as well as sustained peace-building efforts; the administration has demonstrated capacity and commitment to governance.
“For these, the Council commends the Governor for acceding to the expectations of many and proving opponents wrong, who might have underestimated his ability to deliver on his administration’s ‘MORE’ Agenda.”
As the Delta NUJ rightly stated, its mission “is not to confront, but to constructively chart a course that advances both governance and journalism in Delta State.” Still, the NUJ shouldn’t close its eyes to or gloss over it when state governors – as reported in the instant cases in Delta and Akwa Ibom – deliberately want to abridge journalists’ right to hold the government and its officials to account!