Ebonyi Gov. Nwifuru Says Disagreement Over Choice Of Candidates Will Be Resolved

By Ayodele Oni

Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has clarified that relationship between him and the Minister for Works, David Umahi was cordial after the outcome of the State All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus picking of candidates.

In a statement by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Dr. Monday Uzor, Governor Nwifuru, maintained “he has no rift with the immediate past Governor of the State, and the Hon. Minister of Works, Sen. David Nweze Umahi as being speculated.

He further assured that the APC is a place where all the aspirants to various positions will be treated equally as agreed by the stakeholders.”

Remarking on the consensus candidacy arrangements, he announced “that all outstanding issues regarding to consensus candidacy, if any, will be amicably resolved.”

While calling for united political fronts in the 2027 context, the Ebonyi leader urged gladiators to close ranks.

“All aspirants and party faithful should close ranks and make sacrifices where needed in the interest of the party.

The governor debunked the news making the rounds in the media space as speculation, reiterating that there is no possible divisions in the state chapter of the APC insisting that the party remains one indivisible family.

It has earlier been widely speculated that the Minister’s of Works picked hole with Nwifuru’s insistence on consensus candidacy to avert pre and post electoral litigation.

After a convention of multi stakeholders engagement and consultative meeting for all zones of the state on Tuesday, Umahi in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Francis Nwaze, distanced himself from the decision.

He revealed  that he had consulted with the national leader of the party, President Bola Tinubu whom he said “ordered for direct primaries” as against consensus candidacy adopted by Ebonyi State chapter of the APC.

This raised eyebrows with many organizations calling on the immediate past Ebonyi leader to concentrate on his ministerial job or risk expulsion from the party.