Loading ...ABAKALIKI, NIGERIA — A fierce political battleground is forming in Ebonyi State ahead of the 2027 elections, as Governor Francis Nwifuru explicitly warned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his allies to steer clear of the state, declaring that “Ebonyi is not for sale.”
Speaking during a heavily attended stakeholders’ rally in Abakaliki organized to endorse his and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bids, Governor Nwifuru addressed raging rumors that the presidency had quietly mapped out Ebonyi State as political compensation for the FCT Minister.
‘Eeyah!’: Nwifuru Mocks Wike’s Camp
According to the governor, certain opposition politicians aligned with Wike’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been boasting across the state that President Tinubu handed over the political machinery of Ebonyi to Wike to orchestrate an opposition victory in the 2027 governorship race.
Reacting with open disdain, Nwifuru mocked the claims with a sarcastic local exclamation.
“Some people are going around and saying that they discussed with President Tinubu and that the president has given Ebonyi to PDP,” Nwifuru stated. “They said Nyesom Wike is their leader and that Wike said the president has given Ebonyi to him. And we say to them, ‘Eeyah!’ (what a pity).”
The governor further warned that his administration possesses the political weight and grassroots machinery to aggressively neutralize any external intrusion.
“Now, I want to sound this way as your governor: We are not afraid. Nobody should push us because we have all it takes to consume whoever is trying us; we have all it takes to destroy whoever is trying us,” Nwifuru fiercely asserted.
Wike’s Attack Reignites Fierce Clashes Within the PDP
While Minister Nyesom Wike has yet to personally issue a statement regarding the public warning, Nwifuru’s remarks have immediately reignited the structural civil war within the PDP, splitting the party’s national factions down the middle.
The PDP faction backed by Wike and chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed instantly rushed to the minister’s defense, blasting Governor Nwifuru’s rhetoric as reckless, desperate, and inflammatory. Speaking from the Wadata Plaza headquarters in Abuja, the faction’s spokesperson, Hon. Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, dared Nwifuru to face his local governance failures instead of crying wolf.
“Chief Wike is not Governor Nwifuru’s political mate and should not be drawn into the Governor’s self-inflicted challenges,” the spokesperson stated. “These unfortunate statements clearly expose a governor who is increasingly troubled by the prospect of his rejection by the people of Ebonyi State in 2027. If the governor truly wishes to ‘consume’ anyone, let him do so through visible developmental projects.”
In a sharp twist, a rival faction of the PDP chaired by Kabiru Turaki issued a counter-statement praising Governor Nwifuru for calling out the FCT minister. Speaking through its spokesperson, Ini Ememobong, the anti-Wike PDP faction defended the APC governor, stating that Nwifuru was entirely justified in condemning the “meddlesomeness and political blackmail” of Wike, who they accuse of routinely dropping President Tinubu’s name to destabilize states outside his jurisdiction.
The 2027 Turf War Intensifies
Political analysts note that Nwifuru’s outburst exposes deep-seated anxieties in the Southeast regarding Wike’s expansive political influence and his unique positioning as both a Tinubu cabinet member and an influential PDP powerhouse. With local support groups already clashing in Abakaliki over zoning arrangements and power rotation for 2027, the open defiance by Governor Nwifuru sets the stage for what promises to be an incredibly volatile executive turf war.
