Supreme Court: Governor Nwifuru didn’t reject PDP, APGA opponents – Commissioner
The Ebonyi state government today, debunked a media report claiming that Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru had vowed not to include his main challengers from the 2023 general election in his government for dragging him to courts.
Some media outlets quoted the governor as stating that the duo of 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 reports stirred controversy, prompting various reactions, including a group issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for the governor to retract the statement.
However, the state government said the governor was misquoted describing the report as false, myopic and ill-intended.
The state commissioner for information and state orientation, Engr Jude Okpor stated this in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital that the governor’s statement was quoted out of context.
He said: “The government of Ebonyi State has noted with utter dismay reactions in some quarters emanating from some distorted reports from some sections of the media over His Excellency, Rt Hon Bldr 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 such media representatives in the state for some clandestine reasons, best known to them.
“The report published in some media outlets had it 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, in his usual forthrightness and plainness of heart, 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 nailed in his favour.”
Okpor noted that the governor being a man of integrity whose words are bankable simply expected his opponents to respect their words as well by ceasing further litigations as promised after meetings with them.
According to him, the governor at the meeting merely expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that one of them reneged on his words by serving him a suit notice a day after their meeting”.
