As next month’s gubernatorial primary of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ebonyi State approaches, Governor David Umahi has thrown his weight behind the governorship ambition of the embattled Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru, as his preferred successor come 2023.

This is coming on the heels of reported opposition by stakeholders of the party from Izzi, Ebonyi, and Abakaliki Local Government Areas of the state.

The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora led by Amb. Paschal Oluchukwu, had, on Friday, also kicked against the purported endorsement of the embattled speaker by a group known as Ezza Ezekuna youths and traditional rulers of the Izzi Clan.

Umahi gave the endorsement, on Saturday, at Okposi, in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state, during the burial ceremony of late Chief Dandy Omoke, a former Chairman of the council.

Umahi, while introducing Nwifuru at the occasion, described him as the next Governor of Ebonyi State.

Sunday PUNCH reports that Nwifuru represents Izzi/West State Constituency.

Nwifuru, who has served as speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly since 2015, is in his third tenure in the House.


He was first elected into the Assembly in 2011 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

He was subsequently re-elected under the same platform in 2015 and in 2019, before he defected to the All Progressives Congress in 2020, alongside Governor Umahi and 15 other House members.

Commissioner for Information, in the state, Uchenna Orji, confirmed the endorsement, on Saturday.

While reacting to an inquiry by a national daily, the commissioner said Nwifuru possessed the necessary requirements to succeed Umahi, come 2023.

He said, “Yes, the endorsement is true. Nwifuru is our candidate for the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi State.”


Saturday PUNCH had reported that in some states, the governors have openly rallied stakeholders’ support for their preferred successors, while some are said to be making silent moves, including subtle persuasion and coercion, to have their way.

In Ebonyi State, the APC stakeholders of the Izzi clan, comprising Ebonyi, Abakaliki, and Izzi local government areas, disagreed over who would succeed Dave Umahi in 2023. They expressed their opposition to the rumoured support of the governor for the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru.

Also, the Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora, has decried the purported spates of ‘induced’ endorsements of the embattled speaker by faceless groups, some apolitical actors such as traditional rulers.

The President-General of the group, Amb. Paschal Oluchukwu, stated this in a statement, on Friday, urging the public to ignore social media reports that an Ezza youths group ‘adopted’ the embattled speaker, as its choice for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

According to him, “The news making round various Social media platforms that the embattled Speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ogbonnaya Nwifuru was endorsed as the choice of Ezza nation for the 2023 Governorship election merely exposes the level of desperation and ignorance on the part of both the alleged ‘endorsers’ and the endorsee.

“Therefore, the report that some ‘Ezza-Ezekuna youths led by Hon. Victor Nwite, one of his aides, Haggai nwokpor, Prince Chika Igboke, Okwudili Sampson Nworie, Nweke Ikechukwu, and Joshua Nwafor among others endorsed the sacked Izzi-born Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assembly during a recent Courtesy visit should be utterly disregarded and ignored by every well-intentioned Ezza sons and daughters.”

“The fact remains that the Ezza nation at home and in the diaspora are more determined and focused on ensuring that it produces the next Governor of Ebonyi State in 2023 than some treacherous political foes whose stomachs have remained their gods can ever imagine.”

According to the group, Umahi was working in connivance with ‘these’ faceless groups and non-state actors, to foist his selfish agenda on the state, ahead of 2023.

Recall that Umahi had penultimate week convened a meeting of the stakeholders with the aim of harmonising and choosing two prospective candidates on the platform of the party for the governorship as well as for other positions.

Xscape1993:
Nigerian politics as usual....

CaptainAyub:
Na him know

garfield1:
Finally,izzi people,the largest clan in ebonyi and 4th in igboland will produce a governor

CaptainAyub:

Ezza is the largest clan in Ebonyi state

Beremx:
Hope he continues his legacies

garfield1:


No,it is izzi.they have three full LGAs while ezzas have 2 and a half

TotoGame:
Umahi and his puppet Will fail woefully in 2023 cus the strength of PDP in Ebonyi is second to none

Senator Obinna ogba of the PDP will surely emerge

CaptainAyub:

Lol.
Even an Izzi man will not dare tell you they're more in numbers than the Ezzas
The only homogeneous LG the Izzis have is Izzi local govt.
40% of the population in Ebonyi local govt is owned by the mixture of non Ebonyians plus Ebonyians who live in what falls under Abakaliki metropolis/state capital.
Same scenario in Abakaliki local govt.
The Ezzas have Ezza north and Ezza South solely occupied by Ezza ppl.
In Ishielu they easily have 1/3 of the LG vi's Ezza-egu and Umuhali.
In Ohaukwu LG,Ezzas have 2/5 of the local govt viz Ezza Effium.
In Onicha LG Ezzas easily have 1/5 of the LG viz Abaomege,Ishinkwo and Ukawu.
In Ivo LG,Ezzas have 2 wards there.
Then we have Ezzas in Enugu,d back of d airport in Enugu up to CARITAS University is populated by Ezzas.
Then there are Ezzas in Benue too,there was once a thread about them here.
Only the Mbaise ppl are larger than Ezza in Igbo land.The Ikweres too but those ones are confused

CaptainAyub:

Ezza is the largest clan in Ebonyi state

garfield1:
Finally,izzi people,the largest clan in ebonyi and 4th in igboland will produce a governor

Penguin2:


Don’t distort fact my friend…

Ndu Izhi are the largest clan in Ebonyi.

Or is because Ezza are itinerant and can’t sit their ass at a place?

CaptainAyub:

Lol.
Even an Izzi man will not dare tell you they're more in numbers than the Ezzas
The only homogeneous LG the Izzis have is Izzi local govt.
40% of the population in Ebonyi local govt is owned by the mixture of non Ebonyians plus Ebonyians who live in what falls under Abakaliki metropolis/state capital.
Same scenario in Abakaliki local govt.
The Ezzas have Ezza north and Ezza South solely occupied by Ezza ppl.
In Ishielu they easily have 1/3 of the LG vi's Ezza-egu and Umuhali.
In Ohaukwu LG,Ezzas have 2/5 of the local govt viz Ezza Effium.
In Onicha LG Ezzas easily have 1/5 of the LG viz Abaomege,Ishinkwo and Ukawu.
In Ivo LG,Ezzas have 2 wards there.
Then we have Ezzas in Enugu,d back of d airport in Enugu up to CARITAS University is populated by Ezzas.
Then there are Ezzas in Benue too,there was once a thread about them here.
Only the Mbaise ppl are larger than Ezza in Igbo land.The Ikweres too but those ones are confused

CaptainAyub:
Na God save me make I no reveal my real identity to you when you asked cos your type fit plaster person name and pictures for nairaland at d slightest differences.
If you want to delude yourself that Izzis are more in numbers than Ezzas,by all means do
Self deception and living in denial are allowed.

Datikwerreboi:

He's not talking about the total number of Ezzas in Nigeria but in ebonyi. Ezzas are migrants. Of course they're Ezzas in Nike and Nkanu East and Ezza mpu in Aninri LGA of Enugu state but the izzi people have 3 LGAs to themselves. There is of course no LGA that is exclusively lived by the Indigenes alone

CaptainAyub:

Stop misinforming ppl.
Izzis don't have any 3 local govt to themselves,stop deceiving yourself.
The only local govt Izzis have solely is Izzi LGA.
Half of the population of Abakaliki and Ebonyi local govt fall under Abakaliki metropolis which is populated mostly by non indigenes and other Ebonyians.

CaptainAyub:

Lol.
Even an Izzi man will not dare tell you they're more in numbers than the Ezzas
The only homogeneous LG the Izzis have is Izzi local govt.
40% of the population in Ebonyi local govt is owned by the mixture of non Ebonyians plus Ebonyians who live in what falls under Abakaliki metropolis/state capital.
Same scenario in Abakaliki local govt.
The Ezzas have Ezza north and Ezza South solely occupied by Ezza ppl.
In Ishielu they easily have 1/3 of the LG vi's Ezza-egu and Umuhali.
In Ohaukwu LG,Ezzas have 2/5 of the local govt viz Ezza Effium.
In Onicha LG Ezzas easily have 1/5 of the LG viz Abaomege,Ishinkwo and Ukawu.
In Ivo LG,Ezzas have 2 wards there.
Then we have Ezzas in Enugu,d back of d airport in Enugu up to CARITAS University is populated by Ezzas.
Then there are Ezzas in Benue too,there was once a thread about them here.
Only the Mbaise ppl are larger than Ezza in Igbo land.The Ikweres too but those ones are confused

Penguin2:


You are talking trash

Which other clan inhabits Ebonyi LGA aside Izzi?

And aside non-indigenes in Abakaliki Capital territory, which other non-Izzi clan inhabits Abakaliki LGA?

You are mentioning lost Ezzas in Enugu as they will come and vote in Ebonyi.

All this Fulani-like behavior that you people want to adopt won’t take nowhere.

Las las I’m happy PDP has zoned their ticket to Izzi and Umahi has endorsed Nwifuru who is Izzi.

You people can defect to APGA and support Prof Odoh. Just remember that one day when you will need our help, we shall return the favour.

Nonsense

CaptainAyub:

Only hope PDP has is to field an Ezza man.
The Ezzas and other Abakaliki ppl will rather vote Nwifuru than Ogba for obvious reasons.

TotoGame:
Umahi and his puppet Will fail woefully in 2023 cus the strength of PDP in Ebonyi is second to none

Senator Obinna ogba of the PDP will surely emerge

Penguin2:


You are talking trash

Which other clan inhabits Ebonyi LGA aside Izzi?

And aside non-indigenes in Abakaliki Capital territory, which other non-Izzi clan inhabits Abakaliki LGA?

You are mentioning lost Ezzas in Enugu as they will come and vote in Ebonyi.

All this Fulani-like behavior that you people want to adopt won’t take nowhere.

Las las I’m happy PDP has zoned their ticket to Izzi and Umahi has endorsed Nwifuru who is Izzi.

You people can defect to APGA and support Prof Odoh. Just remember that one day when you will need our help, we shall return the favour.

Nonsense

garfield1:


You sabi.I thought obga is ezza