The NDC campaign disruption in Effurun, Delta State, has triggered fresh calls for an investigation after the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Chris Iyovwaye, alleged that armed men interrupted a mobilisation march and that police escorts were ordered away from the campaign venue.
Iyovwaye raised the allegations on Monday, September 21, during an interview with Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, days after the NDC’s One Million-Man March was disrupted in parts of Effurun and Warri. He called for authorities to establish what happened and prevent similar incidents as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC candidate also claimed that some participants were shot and taken to a nearby hospital. Separately, the Deacon Chris Campaign Council said five people were injured during the disturbance. Those claims have not been independently verified by the police in the reports reviewed for this story.
The incident has already prompted the Delta State Government to direct security agencies to investigate and prosecute anyone found responsible.
The disputed incident occurred on Friday, September 18, during an NDC mobilisation exercise involving supporters of candidates of the party.
The campaign council said the march began at about 8am and later encountered confrontations at several locations around Warri and Uvwie Local Government Area. It identified areas including:
Airport Road near Total filling station
Airport Road around the traffic light and link road
Ogboroke in Warri
Jakpa Junction
The area before Refinery Junction
According to the campaign council, participants were confronted by individuals it described as suspected political thugs carrying weapons and other objects. The council also alleged that a man identified as Collins Egbara was seen with an AK-47 at Jakpa Junction, was disarmed and handed over to the police.
The firearm allegation remains a claim by the campaign side. No police statement confirming the reported seizure or arrest was located in the sources reviewed.
Iyovwaye’s account focused heavily on the presence of security personnel during the march and their alleged withdrawal later in the exercise.
He said the organisers had notified the police before the event, including the Inspector-General of Police, the Delta State Commissioner of Police and the relevant Divisional Police Officer. He further alleged that police personnel who had accompanied the procession were no longer present toward the end of the march.
The candidate described the alleged withdrawal as a serious concern and asked authorities to determine why the officers were no longer at the location.
That account has not been independently established. The Channels report said the Delta Police Command had not issued an official statement on the incident at the time of its September 21 report.
The Delta State Government has separately condemned the disturbance and ordered security agencies to investigate the confrontation.
Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information Charles Aniagwu said Governor Sheriff Oborevwori directed the relevant agencies to determine what happened and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law. The government also said political parties and candidates have the right to campaign peacefully across the state.
The government’s response places the incident within a broader requirement for political campaigns to proceed without violence, intimidation or obstruction.
The directive also makes the investigation important for establishing several outstanding questions:
Who initiated the confrontation?
Were firearms used during the incident?
Were any arrests made?
What caused the reported injuries?
Why did the security presence change during the march?
Until investigators publish their findings, competing accounts about responsibility remain allegations rather than established facts.
The confrontation has produced conflicting political narratives.
NDC figures have accused suspected APC-linked actors of disrupting their mobilisation. Iyovwaye alleged during his Channels Television interview that people appeared to have been sponsored to stop the procession. Earlier statements from the NDC campaign council also linked the confrontation to suspected political thugs.
However, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo separately alleged that NDC supporters were responsible for attacks in his Effurun community, including the destruction of APC campaign billboards and the looting of shops. Keyamo said the incident occurred on September 18 and said he intended to raise the matter with security authorities. Those allegations have also not been independently established.
The competing accounts underscore why the investigation ordered by the Delta Government will be significant: establishing responsibility requires evidence beyond political accusations and social-media footage.
The dispute has drawn reactions from other NDC figures.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the party’s candidate for Delta Central Senatorial District, condemned the disruption and called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services and other security agencies to investigate. He said the march was intended as a peaceful political mobilisation and reported that participants were injured.
The campaign council likewise asked investigators to determine the circumstances surrounding the reported injuries and the alleged handover of the firearm to police.
The NDC campaign disruption in Delta comes as political parties begin expanding grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The immediate issue is no longer simply whether a confrontation occurred; multiple reports and the Delta Government’s own response indicate that a disturbance took place. The unresolved questions concern who was responsible, whether weapons were used, how many people were injured and whether security personnel acted appropriately.
A credible investigation could provide the factual record needed to resolve those questions and determine whether criminal offences occurred.
For political parties, the Effurun incident also highlights the practical security challenges surrounding rallies, marches and other public campaign activities as the 2027 political season develops.
The Delta Government has already directed security agencies to investigate the incident and pursue anyone found culpable. The NDC has welcomed the probe and is seeking a fuller account of the events.
The absence, at the time of the latest reports, of a detailed public statement from the Delta Police Command means several key aspects remain unresolved.
Further police findings, statements from investigators and any resulting arrests or prosecutions are likely to determine how responsibility for the Effurun disturbance is ultimately established.
