Crisis has hit the Ebonyi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, rejected Governor Francis Nwifuru’s “full consensus arrangement” for all elective positions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Umahi, through his Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, said no aspirant should be barred from buying nomination forms.
He disclosed that he had consulted President Bola Tinubu and Governor Nwifuru, and there was “no instruction from Mr President that those who want to contest elections in Ebonyi State should be shut off from buying forms.”
The minister urged the governor to adopt dialogue and negotiation to reach consensus among aspirants, but stressed that “where consensus is not reached, then direct primaries must take place.”
While affirming his support for Nwifuru as the party’s sole gubernatorial candidate, Umahi insisted the process must be supervised by the governor and remain fair. “I have no interest in any aspirant other than my support for the governor and President Tinubu,” he said.
The Ebonyi APC, however, slammed Umahi’s position. In a statement by Assistant Spokesman Arum Kenechukwu, the party said the minister’s comments were “capable of misleading party faithful, inciting tension, and precipitating avoidable political crisis”.
The state chapter warned that all political activities must be conducted under the governor’s guidance as party leader, adding that “any individual who allows themselves to be misled into acting contrary to the directives of the Governor does so at their own risk”.
The dispute follows a recent stakeholders meeting where Governor Nwifuru reportedly anointed aspirants for various positions, sparking discontent among party members.
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