•Petitions security agencies over ‘consume opposition’ remark at Abakaliki Rally

The Ebonyi Political Think-Tank has accused Governor Francis Nwifuru of issuing a public threat of violence against the opposition on the state and has formally notified Nigeria’s security agencies about his threat to "consume" the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a press statement released Tuesday and signed by Emmanuel Nwobo, coordinator of the group, it said the governor made the remark during an APC political rally in Abakaliki on Monday while alleging a conspiracy involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.

According to the group, Governor Nwifuru was quoted as saying: “I have it from a credible source that some people have discussed with Mr. President through their national leader, Nyesom Wike that the federal government has given Ebonyi to PDP. We are just keeping quiet because our people are with us. We have all it takes to consume whosoever that pushes us to the wall.”

The group also described the comment as “deeply troubling and anti-democratic” and said it had a constitutional duty “to respond with the full force of truth, law, and the unshakeable confidence of the people of Ebonyi State.”

The Think-Tank expressed astonishment that Governor Nwifuru, an APC governor, would publicly accuse Chief Nyesom Wike, an APC minister appointed by President Bola Tinubu, of conspiring to deliver Ebonyi to the PDP. “A man cannot celebrate party solidarity on Monday and accuse his party’s appointees of treachery on Tuesday,” the statement read.

The campaign argued that the Governor’s reaction reflected “the unmistakable verdict of the very people he governs, who have examined over three years of his administration and found it profoundly, irredeemably wanting.” It listed “empty stomachs, deteriorating roads, hospitals without drugs, and schools without teachers” as the basis for voter dissatisfaction ahead of 2027.

The statement claimed the Abakaliki rally, organized to demonstrate support for President Tinubu, ended with attendees “spontaneously singing songs in open support of Peter Obi.” The campaign said this showed how “deeply absent” the Governor had become in the lives of constituents across Ebonyi’s 13 local government areas.

Citing Sections 40 and 77 of the 1999 Constitution, the think-tank said Ebonyi “is not under military administration” and that any threat of violence by the Chief Security Officer of a state was “not merely anti-democratic but a criminal declaration.”

It urged Governor Nwifuru to desist from such rhetoric, adding that “history will not be kind to him, and neither will the law.”

The most significant part of the release was a formal notice to law enforcement where it called on the Department of State Services, Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Army, and other relevant agencies to “take immediate and documented cognizance” of the Governor’s statement.

It placed on record that should any harm befall the PDP candidate, his family, campaign team, or supporters across Ebonyi, “the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Governor Francis Nwifuru, will be held directly, personally, and legally accountable under the full weight of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

“This is not a political threat. It is a formal lawful notice, and it is hereby so recorded," the group stated.

The statement noted the 2027 governorship election is “not a contest between political parties or powerful personalities, but a contest between bad governance and the aspirations of long-suffering people.”

It declared that the PDP candidate “is coming to Government House, Abakaliki through the ballot box and through the legitimate, constitutional, and entirely peaceful expression of the sovereign will of the people of Ebonyi State.”

The Think-tank urged Ebonyi voters to “remain calm, resolute, and absolutely committed to the electoral process” and claimed that “every threat the Governor issues becomes a recruitment tool for the PDP campaign.”

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