Governor Nwifuru didn’t reject PDP, APGA opponents in Ebonyi – Commissioner

Ebonyi State government on Saturday described as false a media report saying that Governor Francis Nwifuru has vowed not to accommodate his major challengers in the 2023 general election in his government for dragging him to court.

The media report had quoted the governor as saying that his challengers at the last election: Chukwuma Odii of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Professor Bernard Odoh of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) were not needed in his administration.

The state government said the governor was misquoted and described it as an ill-intended, false and myopic report capable of heating the polity following the series of reactions to it.

The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jude Okpor disclosed this in a statement in Abakaliki, the state capital.

“The Government of Ebonyi State has noted with utter dismay, reactions in some quarters emanating from reports in some sections of the media over His Excellency, Mr Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s statement while addressing stakeholders on 14th January 2024 concerning his ultimate electoral victory at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“It is quite unfortunate that the well-intended and articulate address of the Governor was mischievously lifted in part and quoted out of context by some media representatives in the state for some clandestine reasons, best known to them.

“The reports published in some media outlets say that the Governor avowed his determination not to forgive, accommodate or work with his election challengers in court: Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii of the PDP and Bernard Ifeanyichukwu Odoh of APGA, and their supporters, is, to say the least, false, myopic and ill-intended.

“For the purpose of straightening the records, the Governor on that day simply narrated the tortuous and unpleasant experiences he had in the course of following the avoidable litigations from the tribunal, through the Appeal to the Supreme Court where it was finally ruled in his favour.

“Governor Nwifuru in his statement, did not in any way condemn his opponents for seeking redress according to their conscience in courts of competent jurisdiction” Okpor said.

According to Okpor, the Governor only expressed his dissatisfaction with his opponents’ deceits and distrust in going to court after an olive branch was extended but unfortunately rebuffed by them.

“Governor Nwifuru, in his statement merely expressed ordinary human sentiment that going by the level of deceit and seemingly irreconcilable stance of the PDP and the APGA candidates prior to the supreme court ruling, it would ordinarily have become very difficult to freely work with them. However, since the interest of the state is paramount to any individual’s interest, such a feeling could not be allowed to fertilize” Ok.por said

The Commissioner said that the Governor’s camaraderie spirit and positive disposition in embracing all Ebonyians, including his opponents in the election was summarily emphasized by his last statement at the meeting: “So, sincerely, I tender an apology on their behalf, for us as a state to forgive them. We should forgive them for they knew not what they were doing, and I am sure we are going to forgive them in Jesus’ name”.

Emmanuel Ukoh