A sweeping political consensus emerged in Izzi Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State on Saturday as stakeholders across traditional, political, and community structures unanimously endorsed Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru for a second term in office, while cautioning opposition parties against mounting a challenge in the 2027 governorship election.
The endorsement, delivered at a large-scale gathering at the council headquarters, Iboko, brought together a cross-section of the local government’s leadership hierarchy, including village heads, town union executives, youth and women leaders, political appointees, and elder statesmen, in what observers described as one of the most significant grassroots political alignments in the state in recent times.
Leading the charge, the Executive Chairman of Izzi LGA, Steve Emenike Nwankpa, described the development as a direct expression of the people’s sovereignty, declaring that the endorsement reflected the “unambiguous will” of the grassroots.
“Power resides with the people, and today’s convergence of the young and the old, men and women, across all communities, is a symbolic affirmation of collective resolve. After a critical appraisal of governance outcomes, the people have taken a position to sustain continuity," he said.
He stated that the decision followed extensive consultations involving hundreds of village heads and executives, alongside representatives of the 18 autonomous communities within the LGA.
According to him, the gathering, initially convened to review security and development issues, evolved into a unanimous political declaration endorsing the governor’s re-election.
Nwankpa cited strides in infrastructure expansion, healthcare delivery, agricultural development, and educational investments as central to the groundswell of support, asserting that the administration had “outperformed its electoral mandate.”
In a pointed political message, the council chairman advised opposition actors to refrain from contesting the 2027 race, urging instead constructive engagement with the administration.
“Given the prevailing performance benchmarks, opposition elements should consider offering policy alternatives rather than electoral confrontation,” he said, while projecting a decisive voter mobilisation effort from Izzi in favour of the incumbent.
The event also featured the endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidate for the August 2026 local government elections, Hellen Aduga, whom Nwankpa described as “experienced, focused, and capable of consolidating ongoing reforms at the grassroots level.”
Adding historical and political weight to the proceedings, a former senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, Senator Chris Nwankwo, characterised the endorsement as both strategic and providential.
He urged the electorate, particularly youths, to leverage their demographic strength to reinforce the state’s political trajectory.
“Democracy is fundamentally a game of numbers,” Nwankwo noted, calling for unity, vigilance, and a renewed commitment to participatory governance.
In their separate interventions, elder statesman Engr Elias Mbam and political leader and industrialist, Arc Edward Nkwegu commended the governor’s performance, pointing to scholarship programmes, human capital development initiatives, and ongoing infrastructure projects as evidence of impactful governance.
They stressed the importance of sustaining policy continuity to consolidate developmental gains across the state.
The endorsement motion was formally moved by representatives of the village heads’ forum and seconded by leaders of the town unions, signalling what participants described as a rare convergence of institutional voices within the LGA.
other speakers including Dr Sunday Nwangele, Prince Richard Idike, Dr Moses Ekuma, Chijioke Nwuzor, among others a called on eligible voters, particularly in rural communities, to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate actively in the electoral process, and pledged to translate the endorsement into overwhelming electoral support in 2027.
