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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

Nwifuru’s Warning to Council Chairmen Sparks Ebonyi CSO Fears Over 2027

From Vanguard · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • Ebonyi civil society spokesperson Charles Otu alleged that Governor Francis Nwifuru threatened to remove local government chairmen whose councils fall to the opposition in 2027.
  • Otu said the governor’s reported instruction to show “no mercy” to opposition parties, along with alleged local threats, could intimidate voters.
  • He attributed the warnings to what he described as poor performance by the state government over the past three or more years.

Why should anyone be afraid of a ballot? That is the question Charles Otu says Ebonyi State’s political leaders must answer as the country moves toward the 2027 general elections.

Otu, spokesperson for the Ebonyi Civil Society Coalition Group, said Governor Francis Nwifuru created concern when he swore in 13 newly elected local government chairmen and their deputies in Abakaliki. According to Otu, Nwifuru warned that any chairman whose council was lost to the opposition in 2027 would be removed. The governor also reportedly told the chairmen to show “no mercy” to opposition parties in their areas.

Why are they afraid of the ballot?

· Charles OtuOtu questioned the reported warnings to local government chairmen ahead of the 2027 election.

Otu, speaking recently on Arise Television, said he viewed the warning as a sign of political panic rather than routine mobilisation. “Why are they afraid of the ballot?” he asked. In his view, a government confident in its record should have little reason to fear voters’ judgment.

Abysmal performance is the reason for the desperation.

· Charles OtuHe linked the alleged political pressure to what he described as poor governance in Ebonyi.

He said the coalition had assessed governance in Ebonyi over the past three or more years and found what he called “abysmal performance.” “Abysmal performance is the reason for the desperation,” Otu said.

Otu also alleged that the governor’s message had reached the local level. He cited Ohaukwu Local Government Area chairman Eze Paul Ituma, who he said warned that opposition politicians and people working against the APC could be declared persona non grata. Otu alleged that Ituma made the remark less than 25 hours after his inauguration, saying anyone who did not vote for the APC could be declared persona non grata in Ohaukwu.

Anybody who does not vote for the APC will be declared a persona non grata in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

· Eze Paul Ituma, as quoted by Charles OtuOtu alleged that the Ohaukwu council chairman made this warning after his inauguration.

For Otu, such language turns an election into a contest in which citizens could be punished for choosing differently. “Elections are rather referendums on the incumbent,” he said, framing the vote as a judgment on what the government has done with its mandate.

Elections are rather referendums on the incumbent.

· Charles OtuHe described elections as judgments on the performance of the sitting administration.
About this summary

Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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