Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has dismissed claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has handed the state over to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 governorship election, warning external political interests not to underestimate his administration.
The governor was reacting to reports that Nyesom Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, had claimed that the president allocated Ebonyi State to him and the PDP for the next political cycle.
Addressing a large crowd of supporters in Abakaliki, Governor Nwifuru described the rumours as baseless, insisting that the state cannot be bartered or controlled by outsiders.
“I heard some people are saying that President Tinubu has given Ebonyi State to PDP for the 2027 governorship election, and their leader Nyesom Wike has also said that the president has given Ebonyi to him,” Nwifuru said.
“We say to them ‘Eyaa’. Ebonyi is not for sale. We are not afraid. Nobody should push us because we have all it takes to consume whoever is trying us.”
Governor Nwifuru, who is seeking a second term in office under the ruling All Progressives Congress, delivered the warning amid shifting political alignments in the state.
Just days prior to his address, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Project Monitoring, Felix Igboke, resigned from his position and defected from the APC to the PDP.
Igboke publicly announced his return to the opposition party alongside over 10,000 supporters during a political gathering in Isu, Onicha Local Government Area.