By Joelson Wilson
The Chief Adviser to the Governor of Delta State, Senator Ighoyota Amori, has described the appointment of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as Director of Finance/Treasurer of President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 Presidential Campaign Council as a vote of confidence in the governor’s financial discipline, administrative competence and ability to manage complex structures, stressing that the appointment should not be misconstrued as a licence to deploy Delta State resources for the presidential campaign.
Amori, who spoke against the backdrop of growing reactions to the appointment, said the assumption that Governor Oborevwori had been saddled with the responsibility of personally financing the campaign was a fundamental misunderstanding of the office. According to him, the Director of Finance or Treasurer of a campaign organisation is primarily responsible for coordinating, overseeing and ensuring accountability in the management of funds raised through legitimate campaign structures, rather than personally providing every naira required for the campaign.
He explained that presidential campaigns are highly structured organisations with different sources of funding, specific budgets and clearly defined areas of expenditure. The responsibility of the Treasurer, he said, is to ensure that resources entrusted to the campaign are properly coordinated, transparently accounted for and judiciously deployed in accordance with approved objectives. Amori therefore urged Nigerians and political commentators to distinguish between financial leadership and personal financial responsibility when assessing Oborevwori’s new assignment.
The Chief Adviser said Governor Oborevwori’s experience in managing the affairs of Delta State provides a strong basis for the confidence reposed in him. Since assuming office in 2023, he noted, the governor has been responsible for managing a complex state economy involving competing demands for infrastructure, workers’ welfare, education, healthcare, social services and human capital development. Amori argued that successfully navigating these responsibilities requires considerable financial discipline, strategic planning, prudent resource allocation and the ability to make difficult choices.
According to him, one of the notable features of the Oborevwori administration has been its emphasis on development while maintaining a cautious approach to borrowing and public finance. He said the governor has demonstrated that responsible governance is not necessarily measured by the volume of money available to government, but by how effectively available resources are prioritised and converted into tangible benefits for the people. This, he maintained, is precisely the kind of experience that makes a person suitable for a sensitive financial coordination role in a major political campaign.
Amori also pointed to the administration’s investments in infrastructure as evidence of the governor’s capacity to manage large-scale projects and public resources. The ongoing construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, schools, healthcare facilities and other public infrastructure across the state, he said, involve extensive financial planning, budgeting, procurement, supervision and accountability. He added that the governor’s ability to coordinate these programmes across different parts of the state demonstrates an understanding of how to manage competing priorities while pursuing measurable development outcomes.
The Chief Adviser further highlighted the administration’s human capital development initiatives, noting that prudent financial management should ultimately translate into improved opportunities and better living conditions for citizens. Investments in education, youth empowerment, skills development, workers’ welfare and other people-oriented programmes, he said, reflect an administration that understands the importance of directing public resources towards areas capable of producing lasting social and economic value.
Amori consequently dismissed the suggestion that Oborevwori’s appointment automatically implies that Delta State’s treasury would be used to finance the 2027 presidential election. He stressed that public funds belong to the people and must be managed in accordance with the law, adding that the governor’s political assignment should not be confused with the financial operations of the Delta State Government. While acknowledging that criticism is an essential part of democratic engagement, he urged critics to base their arguments on facts and the actual responsibilities of the office rather than assumptions about what the appointment means.
He said the qualities required of a campaign finance director include integrity, discretion, organisational ability, financial prudence and the capacity to coordinate people and resources. In his view, Oborevwori’s record in managing Delta State provides a credible explanation for why he could have been entrusted with such a responsibility. “In politics, some responsibilities are not about who can personally produce the most money, but about who can be trusted to responsibly manage what has been entrusted to the campaign,” Amori said, stressing that this distinction is essential to understanding the governor’s appointment.
Amori therefore urged Nigerians to see the appointment as recognition of Governor Oborevwori’s capacity rather than an allegation waiting to happen. He said the governor’s record of prudent resource management, infrastructure development and investment in human capital had demonstrated an ability to manage complex responsibilities and deliver results within available resources. While the campaign finance structure should ultimately be judged by transparency and accountability, he maintained that there was no justification for presuming that the appointment meant Delta State funds would be diverted to the presidential campaign. “Governor Oborevwori is a prudent man, and that quality, among others, continues to inspire confidence in him,” the Chief Adviser said.
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