What began with an indefinite suspension has now acquired a definite return date. Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has directed Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Reuben Izeze, to return to office after completing 10 weeks away from duty.
Oborevwori announced the decision on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, during the swearing-in of the State Auditor-General and the inauguration of the governing councils of three state-owned universities at Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba.
The governor said Izeze had appealed to him for forgiveness and explained that, although the commissioner had not yet completed the period of suspension, he had decided to allow him to resume after the 10-week period elapsed.
“Because you (Commissioner) have pleaded and really removed that shame and you came to face the public, even as people know that you are under suspension, from when you were suspended is not yet been two months, I will say that when it completes 10 weeks from the day of your suspension, you can resume work,” Oborevwori said.
The governor also stressed the importance of discipline among public officials, saying those serving in government must conduct themselves responsibly.
“I always tell people that my kind of system is different. If someone like me has changed my style, this is not the Sheriff of 20 years ago,” he said, adding that “when you are in government, you must behave well because nobody is above the law.”
Why Izeze Was Suspended
Izeze was suspended indefinitely by the Delta State Government on August 10, 2026, following allegations linking him to the assault of the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Protocol, Simon Mudi, popularly known as Temple, during an All Progressives Congress stakeholders’ meeting at the Petroleum Training Institute, PTI, Effurun.
The suspension was announced in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Kingsley Eze Emu.
The government said the measure was intended to allow security agencies to conduct an unbiased investigation into allegations associating Izeze with the alleged assault.
Importantly, the August 10 government announcement described the suspension as indefinite and pending the outcome of the investigation; it did not originally stipulate a 10-week suspension. The 10-week period was subsequently announced by Governor Oborevwori on September 22.
Ten weeks from August 10 falls on October 19, 2026, meaning Izeze is expected to resume on that date, based on the governor’s pronouncement.
The development brings a new chapter to a controversy that has kept one of the state’s key infrastructure portfolios without its substantive commissioner since August.
Izeze’s return will now put the spotlight back on the Works Ministry and the projects under its supervision, even as the circumstances surrounding the original suspension remain tied to the investigation announced by the state government.
