… Highlight Nwifuru’s Achievements in Healthcare, Civil Service Reforms and Other Sectors
By Abraham Ovuba
Date: October 20, 2026
Ebonyi political leaders and stakeholders have reaffirmed the state’s governorship zoning arrangement, insisting that Ebonyi North should retain the position for another four-year term in 2027.
The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Ebonyi State Stakeholders’ Non-Partisan Summit held at the Ecumenical Centre, Abakaliki, on Tuesday.
Under the theme, “Orderly and Peaceful Political Transition in Ebonyi State: The Way Forward,” participants proposed that power should shift to Ebonyi Central in 2031 and Ebonyi South in 2039, with each zone serving eight years.
Delivering the keynote address, Senator Emmanuel Onwe highlighted Governor Francis Nwifuru’s achievements in human capital development, healthcare delivery and civil service reforms, among other key sectors.
Onwe described power rotation among the three senatorial zones as essential to equity, unity and political stability, urging stakeholders to preserve peace and respect the state’s zoning arrangement.
Former governors David Umahi, Sam Egwu and Anyim Pius Anyim, alongside other stakeholders, also recalled Ebonyi’s political transitions since its creation, attributing the state’s relative stability and development to adherence to zoning.
However, Sen Egwu, chairman of the occasion, distanced himself from a blanket endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, citing his membership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and presidential interest outside the APC.
A panel comprising Senator Chris Nwankwo, Chief Hyacinth Ikpor, Senator Julius Ali Ucha and Senator Anthony Agbo examined past administrations’ records and the importance of sustaining the zoning formula.
The stakeholders urged political leaders, traditional rulers, religious institutions and residents to reject violence and inflammatory rhetoric, stressing that peace, unity and equitable development were vital to the state’s future.
Earlier, the planning committee chairman and former Deputy Governor, Barrister Kelechi Igwe, expressed hope that the summit would promote peaceful elections in 2027 and beyond.
