The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr Samuel Ogbuku, has quashed mounting speculation that he intends to contest the 2028 governorship election in Bayelsa State, declaring instead that his focus is firmly on supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Speaking at a world press conference on Monday in Asaba, Delta State, to mark the 25th anniversary of the NDDC, Ogbuku said he had neither declared interest in the Bayelsa race nor discussed any such ambition with political associates. Rather, he insisted that his immediate concern is to deliver on the mandate given to him by the President.
“I want to say I have never told anybody I’m contesting an election,” Ogbuku stated. “Mr President has given me an assignment as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, and that is where my full concentration lies.”
The NDDC boss was responding to growing speculation—fanned by political billboards and whispers across the state—that he is eyeing the 2028 governorship race. But Ogbuku said those urging him to run should instead “convert that energy” into campaigning for Tinubu’s second term.
“If there is any election I’m interested in, it is Mr President’s re-election,” he declared. “To those who say I want to contest if Mr President does not win—how do I win an election if he doesn’t win? So, Mr President must win.”
Ogbuku appealed to supporters and political actors behind public displays of his potential candidacy to redirect their efforts toward strengthening the President’s chances at the 2027 polls, noting that his loyalty remains with Tinubu.
“I’m loyal to Mr President and my interest is to see him succeed,” he said. “One way to help him succeed in delivering the dividends of democracy is for me to deliver on the job he has given me—to develop the Niger Delta.”
The comments come amid growing political realignments in the South-South ahead of the next election cycle, with Ogbuku’s rising public profile fuelling rumours of a larger political agenda. But for now, he insists, governance—not campaigning—remains his sole focus.
