There was a mini-drama at the entrance of the Delta State House of Assembly on Wednesday as police personnel banned journalists from covering Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s State address, saying the order was from above.
Over 20 Journalists who arrived at the Delta State House of Assembly one after the other, from 9:30 am, were fiercely denied entry into the Assembly complex even after tendering their various IDs of their media outfits.
Those banned include The Punch, The Guardian, Nigerian Tribune, This Day, The Nation, Champion, Daily Telegraph, Leadership, Blueprint, Business Day, Nigerian Pilot, Business News, The Story, Emerald online, and others.
The security personnel, led by one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Saviour David, said, “If you like call anybody, nobody will answer you, I’m in charge here”, adding the order of banning journalists was given by government authorities, “you call quote me.”
The development almost resulted in fisticuffs as the angry David started bullying those who dared to approach him to allow the journalists access to the premises.
While the ASP allowed some non-journalists and gave preference to three female journalists who are core government house correspondents, he insisted that the governor had placed some media outfits on a watch list for “bad reportage” of his two-year administration.
Meanwhile, Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Emomotimi Dennis Guwor, has felicitated with the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, on his second anniversary in office.
The Speaker, who spoke to newsmen in Asaba, said there was much to be celebrated in the two years of governance by Governor Oborevwori.
Guwor said the Governor, who incidentally is his predecessor in office as the Speaker of the sixth and seventh Assembly, since assumption of office on 29 May 2023, had exceeded the expectations of Deltans.
He maintained that Oborevwori had kept to his promise to Deltans by matching his words with action, with the massive execution of both inherited and newly initiated projects.
