The member representing Ikwo/Ezza South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Chinedu Ogah, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconsider the exclusion of Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, from the party’s Presidential Campaign Council ahead of the 2027 general election.
Ogah, an APC chieftain and long-standing supporter of President Tinubu, said the governor’s inclusion in the campaign structure was necessary to strengthen the party’s grassroots mobilisation and ensure that the political interests of Ebonyi State, particularly the Abakaliki bloc, were adequately represented.
The lawmaker made the appeal while speaking on the composition of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, which has prominent political leaders from the South-East occupying key positions.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, is serving as Secretary of the council, while former Ebonyi State Governor and Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, is Deputy Director-General in charge of Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation.
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, is also the South-East Zonal Campaign Coordinator.
Other South-East leaders, including Senator Uche Ekwunife, who is listed as the South-East Zonal Director for Election Planning, Coordination and Mobilisation, are also members of the campaign structure.
Ogah, however, expressed concern that Governor Nwifuru, despite being the serving governor of Ebonyi State and leader of the APC in the state, was not among the principal members of the presidential campaign council.
He argued that the omission could send the wrong political signal to the people of Ebonyi, particularly the Abakaliki bloc, which he described as a critical constituency in the state’s electoral calculations.
“When the other two governors were included, why is Ebonyi not included? That election is about the people that are popular. It is the people that will give out votes. Abakaliki bloc cannot be neglected in the presidential list,” Ogah said.
The federal lawmaker maintained that the APC could not afford to ignore political structures and grassroots stakeholders capable of delivering votes during the presidential election.
According to him, a substantial proportion of Ebonyi’s votes comes from the eight local government areas that constitute the Abakaliki bloc, making the area strategically important to the APC’s electoral prospects in 2027.
Ogah said Governor Nwifuru had demonstrated commitment to the APC and contributed significantly to strengthening the party’s structure and unity in Ebonyi State.
“I started the Tinubu Support Group. I am speaking as an APC member from Ebonyi State. I have served this party just like Governor Nwifuru,” he said.
The lawmaker recalled that his support for Tinubu’s political ambition dated back to 2017, stressing that his involvement in the President’s political project predated the 2023 general election.
He further recalled that he was the first APC member to win a House of Representatives seat in Ebonyi State at a time when the state was under the control of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ogah said Ebonyi’s political relevance should not be underestimated, noting that Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo were currently the three APC-controlled states in the South-East.
He questioned the rationale for giving prominent positions to the governors of Imo and Enugu while leaving out the Ebonyi governor from the principal campaign structure.
“When the other two governors were included, why is Ebonyi not included?” he asked.
The lawmaker urged President Tinubu not to allow what he described as frivolous claims or political narratives to undermine the unity of the APC in Ebonyi State.
“The President should not listen to whatever anybody can come to give him as a frivolous story. It is not a threat. But if the governor is not included, people will not be happy,” Ogah said.
He stressed that Governor Nwifuru’s participation in the presidential campaign structure would make the people of Ebonyi feel carried along and strengthen their commitment to the President’s re-election bid.
“People will not be happy during voting if their governor is not carried along. I want to inform the President that 99 per cent of Ebonyians and the masses are with Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru,” he said.
Ogah described Nwifuru’s omission as an error that should be corrected without delay, insisting that the governor’s grassroots influence and position as the state’s political leader made his inclusion imperative.
“I see it as a mistake for not including his name. But that error has to be corrected immediately,” he stated.
The lawmaker also commended Nwifuru for what he described as efforts to promote peace and unity within the Ebonyi APC, saying the governor’s consultations with party stakeholders had helped to reduce internal disagreements and strengthen cohesion.
He further praised the Nwifuru administration for its development initiatives across the state, arguing that the governor’s performance and grassroots acceptance should make him a key partner in the President’s 2027 campaign.
Ogah cautioned against relying excessively on social media narratives in assessing political strength, stressing that elections were ultimately won through effective grassroots mobilisation and voter support.
“Election is not won on Facebook,” he said.
He therefore called on President Tinubu and the APC national leadership to review the composition of the presidential campaign structure and include Governor Nwifuru, arguing that such a move would consolidate party unity, strengthen grassroots mobilisation and enhance the APC’s electoral prospects in Ebonyi State and the wider South-East.
