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‘We’ll remove you if APC loses in your area in 2027,’ Ebonyi governor threatens council chairmen
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

‘We’ll remove you if APC loses in your area in 2027,’ Ebonyi governor threatens council chairmen

From Premium Times · () English

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

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifuru threatened to remove local government chairmen whose council areas do not vote for the APC in the 2027 general elections.
  • Nwifuru made the remarks while inaugurating chairmen and vice chairmen for the state’s 13 local government areas.
  • His comments have renewed questions about local government autonomy and whether governors can unilaterally remove elected council chairmen after a 2024 Supreme Court ruling on financial independence.

Governor Francis Nwifuru has openly warned Ebonyi’s newly inaugurated council chairmen that their political survival depends on delivering victories for the All Progressives Congress in 2027.

Speaking in Abakaliki on Tuesday, the governor told the chairmen that they would not be allowed to block an APC win in their local government areas. “As a local government chairman, if you like, go and sleep so that another person will take over your house. You will not stop us (APC) from winning. But when we win, we will remove you,” he said.

As a local government chairman, if you like, go and sleep so that another person will take over your house. You will not stop us (APC) from winning. But when we win, we will remove you.

— Francis NwifuruThe Ebonyi governor warned newly inaugurated council chairmen that he would remove them if the APC lost their local government areas in 2027.

Nwifuru said he had no intention of concealing the threat. “It is also not hidden. So let the front page of a newspaper show it tomorrow: we will remove a council chairman who did not win in his local government. We will use your councillors and remove you,” he added. He urged the chairmen to prevent opposition victories, saying that “charity begins at home.” A video of the remarks has circulated widely on social media.

It is also not hidden. So let the front page of a newspaper show it tomorrow: we will remove a council chairman who did not win in his local government. We will use your councillors and remove you.

— Francis NwifuruNwifuru reiterated that his threat to remove underperforming council chairmen was deliberate and public.

The warning comes as Nigeria continues to debate the independence of its local governments and the influence of state governors. In July 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that state governments could not retain or manage funds meant for local councils. A seven-member panel ordered that allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to local governments under the Constitution.

Despite that ruling, many states have continued to route local government funds through joint accounts. In Anambra, Governor Charles Soludo signed a law in October 2024 requiring local governments to remit part of their federal allocations into a state-controlled consolidated account. Nwifuru, who first became governor in 2023, is seeking re-election in 2027. His first term ends on May 29 that year.

Charity begins at home.

— Francis NwifuruThe governor urged the council chairmen to prevent opposition victories in their own areas.
About this summary

Originally published by Premium Times 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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