Daud Olatunji
Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has warned newly inaugurated local government chairmen that they risk losing their positions if they fail to deliver victory for the All Progressives Congress in their respective councils in the 2027 elections.
Nwifuru issued the warning on Tuesday in Abakaliki, the state capital, while inaugurating chairmen and vice-chairmen elected to administer the 13 local government areas of the state.
The governor said the council chairmen would be held directly responsible for the electoral performance of the APC in their respective local government areas.
He declared that any chairman who failed to secure victory for the ruling party would be removed and replaced with a councillor.
“Any chairman who fails to win his council will be removed from office and replaced with a councillor. I want this information to be on the headlines of newspapers because, as politicians, we would not speak in secret,” Nwifuru said.
The governor urged the council bosses to begin mobilisation for the 2027 elections immediately, warning that they would not retain their positions if they allowed opposition parties to gain ground in their councils.
“The chairmen know we would win in the state, and if they choose to sleep and allow others to take their areas, they would be removed,” he added.
Nwifuru further directed the chairmen to work towards delivering what he described as a 100 per cent vote for the APC in the 2027 elections.
He urged them to consolidate the party’s presence at the grassroots and ensure that opposition parties did not establish a foothold in their respective local government areas.
The governor said the council chairmen must regard their political responsibilities as part of their mandate, stressing that “charity begins at home.”
He also cautioned the newly inaugurated chairmen and their deputies against allowing personal disagreements to undermine the administration of their councils.
Addressing the vice-chairmen, Nwifuru urged them to support their principals and remain prepared to assume responsibility whenever circumstances required.
He likened the vice-chairmen to “spare tyres inside the car boot,” saying they should remain available and maintain a close working relationship with the chairmen.
“You should always be available to the chairmen and ask them about your council’s daily activities. Do not listen to gossip and ill advice from your friends against your chairmen because that will destroy your relationship with them,” the governor said.
Nwifuru also cited the political career of his deputy as an example of how effective service at the local government level could pave the way for higher political office.
According to him, his deputy had previously served as a local government chairman and her performance at the grassroots helped to build public confidence in her capacity to serve as deputy governor.
“She performed in ways people saw her and believed she could do the work of a deputy governor. My deputy is doing the work perfectly and presently enjoying the position,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated chairmen, the Afikpo Local Government Area chairman, Timothy Nwachi, thanked the governor and other APC stakeholders for the confidence reposed in the new council officials.
Nwachi pledged that the chairmen would justify their mandate and work to deliver a decisive victory for the APC in 2027.
“We pledge to justify the confidence reposed in us and especially ensure that APC records a landslide in 2027,” he said.
The newly inaugurated chairmen include Osborne Umahi, son of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and Chidi Nwode, brother of Governor Nwifuru’s wife.
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