By Chike Ofili
The Delta State Government has indefinitely suspended the Commissioner for Works (Highway and Urban Roads), Hon. Reuben Izeze, in a dramatic move aimed at clearing the way for what it described as an unfettered investigation into the violent attack on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Mr. Simon Mudi, popularly known as Temple, during last month’s political gathering at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun.
The suspension, which takes immediate effect, was announced in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Kingsley Emu.
The government said the decision followed allegations linking the Commissioner to the incident and was intended to enable security agencies to investigate the matter independently, without fear or interference.
It stressed that the administration was determined to establish the full circumstances surrounding the assault and ensure that anyone found responsible is held accountable.
“The suspension is an administrative measure to allow security agencies to carry out an unbiased investigation into the incident,” the statement said.
The government reaffirmed its commitment to the rule of law, public safety, and the protection of lives and property, insisting that those principles would be upheld irrespective of the status of persons involved.
“The suspension does not amount to a finding of guilt against the Commissioner,” the statement added, noting that further action would depend on the outcome of the investigation.
The development marks the strongest official response yet to the July violence that left Mudi seriously injured and sparked widespread national outrage after social media falsely portrayed the attack as punishment for praising President Bola Tinubu.
As first reported by KTH Daily, investigations revealed that the widely circulated narrative was inaccurate.
Multiple party leaders, security sources, and eyewitnesses told KTH Daily that the APC stakeholders’ meeting at the PTI Conference Centre had ended peacefully after delegates unanimously endorsed President Bola Tinubu, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and other APC candidates for the 2027 general elections.
According to the findings, there was no disagreement over President Tinubu’s endorsement.
Rather, the violence reportedly erupted afterwards at a bar within the PTI complex, where supporters loyal to Mudi and others allegedly aligned with Commissioner Izeze became embroiled in a confrontation rooted in a long-running political rivalry in Ughelli South Local Government Area.
What began as an altercation between rival supporters allegedly escalated into a violent free-for-all during which chairs were thrown and Mudi was brutally assaulted.
The incident was subsequently misrepresented on social media, with claims that the Governor’s aide had been attacked simply for describing President Tinubu as “the best President Nigeria has ever produced.”
The false narrative quickly gained national attention and prompted reactions from political leaders, including former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who condemned the assault based on the initial reports.
Atiku described the attack as unacceptable and inconsistent with democratic values, stressing that no Nigerian should be assaulted for expressing political opinions.
However, subsequent investigations by KTH Daily found no evidence that the violence was connected to President Tinubu or the endorsement of his re-election.
Instead, multiple sources consistently traced the clash to an existing local political feud that spiralled into violence after the official meeting had concluded.
Following the incident, the Delta State Government condemned the violence and directed security agencies to identify and prosecute everyone involved.
The indefinite suspension of Commissioner Izeze is widely seen as a further demonstration of Governor Oborevwori’s determination to allow investigators to pursue the case without interference, particularly given the sensitivity of allegations involving a serving member of the State Executive Council.
Security agencies are expected to determine the individual roles of all those connected with the incident and establish whether criminal liability exists before the government takes any further action.
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