Two Ebonyi summits take opposite stands on Nwifuru's 2027 second term

Two separate political gatherings in Abakaliki have reached opposite conclusions on Governor Francis Nwifuru's future, as Ebonyi State turns its attention to the 2027 governorship election.

The Ebonyi State Leaders and Stakeholders' Political Summit, held on Tuesday at the Ecumenical Centre, endorsed Nwifuru for a second term through a unanimous voice vote. The motion was moved by Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi, who represents Ebonyi North.

According to Vanguard, the summit drew political leaders from the state's three senatorial zones and 13 local government areas. Those present included former governor Sam Egwu, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former governor Martin Elechi, and Minister of Works David Umahi, himself a former governor. Nwifuru attended as Special Guest of Honour.

In a communiqué read by Mrs Chioma Nweze and signed by Umahi, Anyim, Egwu and others, the summit backed the continued rotation of the governorship among the three zones. It resolved that Ebonyi North should complete the slot in 2027, with the office moving to Ebonyi Central in 2031 and Ebonyi South in 2039.

The communiqué urged parties, aspirants and supporters to avoid inflammatory rhetoric, intimidation and political violence, and called for peaceful, credible elections in 2027.

A rival summit backs Odii

A different gathering, the Ebonyi Peoples' Political/Economic Summit 2026, took the opposite view. According to Leadership, it rejected what it described as an automatic second term for Nwifuru and endorsed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, popularly known as Anyichuks.

That summit's communiqué argued that leadership should be judged on performance, competence, integrity and accountability rather than incumbency. It said the current administration had not sufficiently justified another mandate, and cited Sections 179 and 180 of the 1999 Constitution as part of the framework governing governorship elections and tenure.

It also condemned alleged intimidation and threats against opposition politicians, critics, civil society groups and journalists, and set out six development priorities covering fiscal transparency, economic diversification, agro-industrial development, mining reforms, human capital and infrastructure.

What happens next

Neither summit has any legal power to choose a governor. The decision rests with voters and, first, with the party primaries that will produce candidates for 2027.

For now, the two meetings show that Ebonyi's political leaders are already splitting into camps over the governorship, even as both sides publicly call for a peaceful contest.