The 2027 NDC governorship candidate in Delta State, Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, says he is running to bridge the gap between the state’s vast natural resources and the hardship faced by residents.

In a statement titled Why I Am Running to Govern Delta State, Iyovwaye said the state’s oil and gas resources, agricultural potential and waterways should make it an economic powerhouse in Nigeria and the West African sub-region.

He, however, lamented that many residents continued to struggle with poor roads, unreliable electricity, inadequate potable water and limited access to quality healthcare and education.

From Warri and Effurun to Asaba, Sapele and Agbor, he said, the gap between the state’s economic potential and the living conditions of its people remained a major concern.

Iyovwaye also highlighted challenges facing riverine communities, including Burutu, Bomadi and Patani, where access to essential services and infrastructure remained limited.

According to him, Delta State’s substantial public revenue has yet to translate into improved living standards for many residents.

Citing BudgIT’s State of States 2025 report, he said the state received approximately ₦1.192 trillion in gross federal allocations and generated ₦164.6 billion in internally generated revenue in 2024.

He also cited the National Bureau of Statistics’ 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index, which found that 47.6 per cent of Delta residents, approximately 2.73 million people, lived in multidimensional poverty.

Although the figures cover different years, Iyovwaye said they raised questions about the management of public resources and their impact on citizens’ welfare.

He argued that government performance should be measured by tangible improvements in infrastructure, healthcare, education, employment and access to basic services rather than budgets announced or contracts awarded.

Explaining his decision to contest the 2027 governorship election, Iyovwaye said his experience in the private sector had equipped him with skills in enterprise development, industrial operations and management.

As chairman of the Wellmann Group, which operates in Africa’s oil and gas value chain, he said he had learnt the importance of financial discipline, strategic planning, accountability and effective project execution.

While acknowledging that governing a state differed from running a business, he maintained that these principles could improve public administration and resource management in Delta.

He said his proposed Reset Delta agenda would prioritise transparency, job creation, infrastructure development, economic diversification and improved public services.

The agenda, he explained, would also seek to attract investment into oil and gas services, agribusiness, maritime commerce, technology and the creative industries.

Iyovwaye stressed the need to improve agricultural storage and processing facilities, strengthen farm-to-market roads and create employment opportunities for young people.

He also called for better healthcare, clean water, environmental protection and shoreline infrastructure in coastal and riverine communities, alongside improved security across the state.

“I am running because a state blessed with oil, gas, fertile land and exceptional human talent should not allow its citizens to remain trapped in hardship,” he said.

The NDC candidate added that his ambition was to ensure that the state’s resources translated into jobs, security and improved living standards for residents.

He acknowledged that transforming Delta would require sustained investment, competent administration and cooperation among government, businesses, communities and citizens.

Iyovwaye urged Deltans to support his proposed agenda, saying the state needed a development model that prioritised measurable results and ensured that economic opportunities reached communities across its three senatorial districts.