Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has threatened to remove any local government chairman who fails to deliver his council area to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Nwifuru issued the warning on Tuesday in Abakaliki while inaugurating the newly elected chairmen and vice chairmen of the state’s 13 local government areas.
The governor, who said the chairmen were expected to secure victory for the APC in their respective councils, declared that those who failed would lose their positions.
“Any chairman who fails to win his council will be removed from office and replaced with a councillor,” Nwifuru said.
He stressed that the warning was not a private threat but a public position that should be reported openly.
“I want this information to be on the headlines of newspapers because, as politicians, we would not speak in secret,” he said.
Nwifuru said the chairmen were expected to consolidate the APC’s dominance across the state, warning that failure to do so would have consequences.
“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 said.
The governor also charged the council chairmen to prevent the opposition from gaining political ground in their respective areas, stressing that political responsibility should begin at the grassroots.
He urged them to do everything within their powers to deliver the state to the APC “100 per cent” in the 2027 elections.
Nwifuru also cautioned the newly inaugurated vice chairmen against rivalry with their principals, urging them to work closely with the council chairmen for the effective administration of their local governments.
He likened the position of a vice chairman to a “spare tyre inside the car boot,” stressing that the deputy should remain supportive rather than seek to undermine the chairman.
The governor told the vice chairmen to remember that “it’s only when the tyre refuses to function or collapses irreversibly that they can function.”
He further advised them to remain actively involved in the affairs of their councils while maintaining a cordial working relationship with their chairmen.
“You should always be available to the chairmen and ask them of your councils’ daily activities,” he said.
Nwifuru also warned the vice chairmen against allowing rumours, gossip or external influences to create conflict between them and their chairmen.
“Do not listen to gossip and ill advice from your friends against your chairmen because that will destroy your relationship with them,” he said.
The governor used the political career of his deputy as an example of how performance at the local government level could open the way for greater responsibilities.
Nwifuru said his deputy had previously served as a local government chairman and that her subsequent emergence as deputy governor could not have been predicted at the time.
“My deputy, for instance, was a former council chairman and nobody knew she would be a deputy governor today,” he said.
According to him, her performance in office earned her the confidence of those who believed she was capable of taking on higher responsibilities.
“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,” the governor said.
Responding on behalf of the newly inaugurated council chairmen, the re-elected Chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area, Chief Timothy Nwachi, thanked Nwifuru and other APC stakeholders for giving them the opportunity to serve.
“We pledge to justify the confidence reposed in us and especially ensure that APC records landslide in 2027,” Nwachi said.
Among the newly inaugurated council chairmen is Osborne Umahi, son of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who will head Ohaozara Local Government Area.
Also inaugurated was Chidi Nwode, younger brother of Governor Nwifuru’s wife, as Chairman of Ikwo Local Government Area, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported.
