Ebonyi accuses PDP of bid to set Wike against Nwifuru

The Ebonyi state government Tuesday slammed the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over what it described as desperate attempts to create a rift between Governor Francis Nwifuru and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, insisting that both leaders enjoy cordial relationship and mutual respect.

The government accused the two factions of the PDP of twisting Governor Nwifuru’s remarks during the June 15, 2026 endorsement rally for President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates held at the Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki, in a bid to score cheap political points ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Chief Ikeuwa Omebeh, who stated this in a statement issued in Abakaliki, said reports suggesting that Governor Nwifuru threatened Wike during the rally were false, misleading and politically motivated.

He said at no time did the governor issue any threat against the FCT minister, adding that the governor only warned opposition elements allegedly spreading fake news and propaganda in the name of Wike to desist from heating up the polity in the state.

“The attention of the Ebonyi state government has been drawn to press statements by the national leadership of the two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party, as well as reports in some sections of the media concerning remarks made by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru, during the endorsement rally held on June 15, 2026, at Pa Ngele Oruta Township Stadium, Abakaliki,” Omebeh stated.

He said  the controversial word “consume” used by the governor during the rally was purely metaphorical and meant that individuals engaging in acts capable of causing a crisis in the state would face the full weight of the law if they failed to retrace their steps.

“The governor only cautioned some opposition elements who are fanning the embers of the crisis in the state and spreading fake news and propaganda in the name of Nyesom Wike to desist from such acts. The word ‘consume’ was a metaphorical expression indicating that those involved in such acts would face the law,” the commissioner said.

Omebeh stated that Governor Nwifuru and Wike share mutual respect and political understanding, insisting that attempts by the PDP and “paid media hirelings” to manufacture bad blood between the two leaders would fail.

He further described the PDP in Ebonyi state as a party battling for survival, arguing that the opposition lacked the moral standing to criticise the performance of the Nwifuru administration while being engulfed in unresolved internal crises.

“A party that has been unable to resolve its internal crisis for years and it lacks the moral rectitude to comment on governance issues,” Omebeh said.