Ebonyi Governor Denies Claims of Tinubu Handing Over State to Wike
Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru dismissed rumors that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had transferred political control of the state to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ rally in Abakaliki organised to back his re‑election bid and President Tinubu’s second‑term campaign, Nwifuru said unnamed allies of Wike had been circulating the claim that the president had handed Ebonyi to the minister and his PDP faction.
“Some people are going around saying they discussed with President Tinubu and that the president has given Ebonyi to the PDP,” Nwifuru stated. “They said Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike told them the president has given Ebonyi to him. And we say to them, ‘eeyaah!’”
The governor rejected the allegation and insisted Ebonyi remains firmly under APC control. He warned those behind the alleged plot not to test the resolve of his administration and supporters.
“Now, I want to sound this way as your governor: We are not afraid. We only hold ourselves because our people are with us,” he said. “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.”
Nwifuru added, “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 rally was also attended by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo.
Although Wike has not yet responded, the PDP faction linked to him criticised Nwifuru’s remarks as reckless, inflammatory and a sign of desperation ahead of the 2027 election.
Spokesperson Jungudo Mohammed said, during a press conference at the party’s national secretariat, that the Ebonyi governorship election would be decided by performance, not intimidation. He challenged Nwifuru to face the faction’s governorship candidate, Ifeanyi Odii, at the polls and urged security agencies and civil society groups to monitor the governor’s “disturbing” comments.
Mohammed also suggested that if the governor truly wishes to “consume” the people of Ebonyi, he should do so through visible developmental projects, effective governance and tangible improvements in living conditions.
Conversely, another PDP faction led by Kabiru Turaki backed Nwifuru’s stance. Its spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, said the governor merely condemned what he described as Wike’s alleged anti‑party activities and political interference.
Ememobong accused the FCT minister of meddling in political affairs outside his official jurisdiction while allegedly invoking Tinubu’s name, and claimed Wike had previously helped push former Ebonyi governor Dave Umahi out of the PDP.
The faction maintained that Alexander Eze remains its governorship candidate for Ebonyi State in the 2027 election.
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