Gov Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has threatened to sack any local government council chairman who fails to secure victory for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in his area during the 2027 general elections.
Nwifuru issued the threat on Tuesday in Abakaliki when he inaugurated the newly elected chairmen and vice chairmen of the 13 Local Government Areas in the state.
He said: ‘Any chairman who fails to win his council will be removed from office and replaced with a councillor.
‘I want this information to be on the headlines of newspapers because, as politicians, we should not speak in secret.
‘The chairmen know we will win in the state, and if they choose to sleep and allow others to take their areas, they will be removed.’
He urged the chairmen not to allow the opposition to thrive in their respective areas, emphasizing that ‘charity begins at home.’
He further charged them to do everything within their power to ensure 100 percent delivery for the APC in 2027.
Admonishing the vice chairmen to work in harmony with their chairmen and avoid rivalry, the governor likened their positions to ‘spare tires inside a car boot.’
The governor reminded the vice chairmen that ‘it is only when a main tire fails or collapses irreversibly that the spare can function.
‘You should always be available to the chairmen and ask about your council’s daily activities. Do not listen to gossip and bad advice from friends against your chairmen, as that will destroy your working relationship,’ he said. (NAN)
Nwifuru noted that his deputy governor was a former council chairperson, adding that no one foresaw her rise to her present office.
Responding on behalf of his colleagues, the re-elected Chairman of Afikpo LGA, Chief Timothy Nwachi, thanked the governor and party stakeholders for giving them the opportunity to serve.
‘We pledge to justify the confidence reposed in us and, above all, ensure that the APC records a landslide victory in 2027,’ Nwachi said. (NAN)