Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has rejected claims that President Bola Tinubu handed over political control of Ebonyi State to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.
Mr Nwifuru, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke on 15 June during a stakeholders’ rally in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
The rally, broadcast live on TVC News, was organised to endorse the re-election of the governor and President Tinubu in the 2027 election.
‘We’ve all it takes to consume, destroy you’
Speaking at the rally, Mr Nwifuru said some of Mr Wike’s unnamed allies have been peddling claims that Mr Tinubu has handed over Ebonyi to the FCT minister and his faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Some people are going around and saying that they discussed with President Tinubu and that the president has given Ebonyi to PDP.
“They said Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the president has given Ebonyi to him. And we say to them, ‘eeyaah!” he narrated.
‘Eeyah’ is an exclamatory remarks which translates to “what a pity”.
The governor then vowed to frustrate the move and threatened to deal with Mr Wike or anybody involved in the alleged plot, stressing that Ebonyi is not for sale.
“Now, I want to sound this way as your governor: We are not afraid. We only hold ourselves because our people are with us.
“Nobody should push us because we have all it takes to consume whoever is trying us; we have all it takes to destroy whoever is trying us,” he said, apparently referring to Mr Wike and his allies.
Continuing, Mr Nwifuru said: “We’re sending a message to them directly or indirectly that we’re members of the All Progressives Congress and that’s where Ebonyi people belong.
“And whoever is trying our resolve, the outcome will be very funny for him.”
The governor was flanked at the rally by another APC chieftain and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State as well as Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State who made a surprise appearance at the venue despite being a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Meanwhile, Mr Wike is officially a member of the PDP faction chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed and recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
However, the politician works under the administration of Mr Tinubu, who is a member of the ruling APC.
The FCT minister has consistently expressed support for Mr Tinubu’s reelection as president in the forthcoming 2027 general elections.
PDP factions split over Nwifuru’s remarks
Although Mr Wike has yet to respond to the governor’s remarks, his PDP faction has faulted the governor, describing his remarks as reckless, inflammatory and a sign of desperation ahead of the 2027 polls.
The spokesperson of the PDP faction, Jungudo Mohammed, during a press conference at the party’s national secretariat on Thursday, told the governor that the 2027 governorship election in Ebonyi would be determined by performance, not intimidation or political blackmail.
“These unfortunate statements clearly expose a governor who is increasingly troubled by the prospect of his rejection by the people of Ebonyi State in 2027,” he said.
The spokesperson challenged the governor to prepare to face their faction’s governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Odii, in the 2027 election.
Mr Mohammed said the PDP faction rejected attempts by Mr Nwifuru to drag Mr Wike into his local political challenges, and then called on security agencies and civil society organisations to take note of the governor’s “disturbing” remarks.
“If the governor truly wishes to ‘consume’ the people of Ebonyi State, let him do so through visible developmental projects, effective governance and tangible improvements in their living conditions,” he said.
However, another faction of the PDP, chaired by Kabiru Turaki, has praised Governor Nwifuru for the remarks against Mr Wike.
In a statement on Thursday, the PDP faction’s spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, defended Mr Nwifuru, arguing that the governor simply “called out and condemned the anti-party activities and political blackmail” of the FCT minister.
Mr Ememobong said the governor’s remarks reiterated “the painful fact of Wike’s meddlesomeness in political affairs outside his official and geographic jurisdictions” using Mr Tinubu’s name.
“We are certain that Governor Nwifuru is conscious of the ignoble role Wike, then as the governor of Rivers State, played in pushing his predecessor (Dave Umahi) out of the PDP,” he stated.
The spokesperson stressed that Alexander Eze remains the governorship candidate of the PDP faction in Ebonyi State ahead of the poll.