Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Nwifuru, has warned the newly inaugurated chairmen of the state’s 13 local government areas that they risk being removed from office if they fail to deliver their respective councils to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Nwifuru issued the warning on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during the inauguration of the new local government chairmen and vice chairmen in Abakaliki, the state capital.
Addressing the council bosses, the governor said their political responsibility included ensuring victory for the APC in their respective local government areas during the 2027 elections.
“Any chairman who fails to win his council will be removed from office and replaced with a councillor,” Nwifuru declared.
The governor emphasised that he was making the warning publicly and wanted it reported by the media.
“I want this information to be on the headlines of newspapers because, as politicians, we would not speak in secret,” he said.
Nwifuru told the chairmen that the APC was expected to win Ebonyi State and warned that any council chairman who failed to work towards securing victory in his area would face consequences.
“The chairmen know we would win in the state and if they choose to sleep and allow others take their areas, they would be removed,” he stated.
He urged the newly inaugurated chairmen to remember that “charity begins from home,” charging them not to allow opposition parties to gain ground in their respective councils.
The governor further directed the chairmen to work towards delivering the state to the APC “100 per cent” in the 2027 elections.
Turning to the vice chairmen, Nwifuru urged them to maintain a cordial working relationship with their chairmen and avoid rivalry.
He likened the position of a vice chairman to a “spare tyre inside the car boot,” explaining that the tyre only becomes necessary when the main one fails.
“You should always be available to the chairmen and ask them of your councils’ daily activities,” he told the vice chairmen.
He also warned them against allowing rumours or external influences to create conflict between them and their chairmen.
“Do not listen to gossip and ill advice from your friends against your chairmen because that will destroy your relationship with them,” he said.
Nwifuru cited his deputy governor as an example of how effective performance in public office could open doors to higher responsibilities. He noted that she had previously served as a local government chairman before eventually becoming deputy governor.
According to him, her performance in her previous position helped convince people that she was capable of handling a higher office.
“My deputy is doing the work perfectly and presently enjoying the position,” Nwifuru said.
The governor’s remarks have generated mixed reactions online, with some Nigerians describing the directive as political pressure on elected local government officials, while others argued that elected officials should be held accountable for the performance of their political parties in their constituencies.
Some commenters also questioned whether threatening elected council chairmen with removal over electoral performance was consistent with democratic principles, while others focused on the wider debate over the autonomy and powers of local governments in Nigeria.