Gov Nwifuru Threats: The Fact, The Context And The Questions AEISCID Failed To Answer

A Response by Chief Celestine Kojos Ekechi.

The statement credited to Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, President of the Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes Socio-Cultural in the Diaspora (AEISCID), contains a mixture of political interpretation, unverified allegations and historical references presented as though they were established facts.

As concerned Ebonyians, we owe the public something better than inflammatory political rhetoric. We owe them facts, evidence and responsible engagement.

The first question that must therefore be asked is simple; which allegations in the AEISCID statement have actually been established by a competent authority, and which are merely accusations?

The distinction is important.

Recent media reports confirm that Governor Francis Nwifuru spoke during the swearing-in of the newly elected local government chairmen and urged them to strengthen the APC at the grassroots ahead of the 2027 elections. Reports also quoted him as warning that council chairmen who failed to deliver their areas politically could lose their positions.

Those remarks can and should be debated. But political statements, however controversial, should not automatically be transformed into proof of criminal conduct, preaching violence or a conspiracy against opposition members. I was at the swear-in ceremony, and there was no time, the Governor charged the newly sworn-in Chairmen to engage in violence attacks on the opposition.

1. POLITICAL MOBILISATION IS NOT, BY ITSELF, PROOF OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE.

The AEISCID statement moves rapidly from political rhetoric to allegations of violence and criminal responsibility.

That leap requires evidence.

If anyone has committed a crime, the proper response is to provide the relevant authorities with evidence. It is irresponsible for anyone to establish guilt through a press statement.

The people of Ebonyi deserve evidence, not political labelling.

2. THE "CONSUME THE OPPOSITION" CLAIM REQUIRES CONTEXT.

The statement repeatedly invokes the Governor's alleged use of the word "consume" and interprets it as an instruction to unleash violence. Yes, the word "consume" to me, is to "defeat" the opposition political parties.

Political language must be considered in its complete context.

The word "consume", standing alone, cannot establish that a Governor ordered anybody to physically attack an opponent. If AEISCID possesses a complete recording demonstrating an explicit instruction to commit violence, it should publish the complete recording and allow Nigerians to assess it.

Selective quotations should not become a substitute for evidence.

3. ALLEGATIONS ABOUT PAST POLITICAL VIOLENCE CANNOT BE PRESENTED AS CONVICTIONS.

The statement refers to alleged historical involvement in political violence and particularly invokes events surrounding the 2019 elections.

This is perhaps the most serious weakness in the document.

An allegation is not a conviction.

If the authors believe that Governor Nwifuru personally committed, ordered or sponsored violence, they should identify the specific incident, date, victims, police investigation, charge, court proceeding and judgment establishing the allegation.

Without that evidence, such assertions remain allegations.

The public should not be encouraged to confuse political accusations with judicial findings.

4. THE POLICE COMMISSIONER ALLEGATION REQUIRES HARD EVIDENCE.

AEISCID also alleges that the Ebonyi Commissioner of Police is residing in a hotel belonging to the Governor and uses this as the basis for questioning police neutrality.

That is a serious allegation.

But precisely because it is serious, the burden of proof is equally serious.

Where is the evidence that the Commissioner is permanently resident there?

Who authorised the accommodation?

What is the Police Force's official explanation? Does not the Commissioner have the right to lodge in any hotel of her choice? 

These questions should be answered before such an allegation is presented as an established fact.

5. FOUR SEPARATE ATTACKS CANNOT AUTOMATICALLY BE ATTRIBUTED TO THE GOVERNOR.

The statement mentions alleged attacks in Ezza South and an alleged killing in Ngbo and then connects these incidents to the Governor and his political appointees.

Again, the cases here are very straightforward:

A crime must be investigated before responsibility is assigned.

If individuals were attacked, their families deserve justice. If perpetrators can be identified, they should be prosecuted irrespective of their political affiliation.

But the fact that an incident allegedly occurred in a politically charged environment does not, by itself, establish that the Governor ordered it.

6. OPPOSITION PARTIES HAVE A RIGHT TO OPERATE — BUT SO DOES THE RULING PARTY.

There is nothing unconstitutional about an incumbent political party seeking victory in an election.

The APC has a right to campaign.

The PDP has a right to campaign.

APGA and every other registered political party have the same right.

The ultimate referee is the voter.

The proper democratic contest should therefore be about who can convince Ebonyians through ideas, programmes, competence and performance. No opposition group should seek to de-legitimise an elected government through unsubstantiated accusations.

7. THE CALL FOR INTERNATIONAL "WATCHLISTS" IS PREMATURE.

AEISCID asks foreign governments, embassies and international organisations to place the Governor on watchlists.

That is an extraordinary demand taken too far.

Before such a request can reasonably be made, the author should identify the specific law violated, the competent authority that investigated it, the findings reached and the legal basis for the proposed international action.

International institutions are not substitutes for Nigerian courts, police investigations or electoral institutions.

8. THE 2027 ELECTION SHOULD NOT BECOME A BATTLE OF ACCUSATIONS.

Ebonyi is approaching another important electoral contest. His Excellency, Governor Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru has done very well and will do better in his second term. We should desist from propagating fake news and quoting the Governor out of context.

OUR POSITION.

We therefore reject the attempt to turn every political disagreement into proof of a criminal conspiracy. The appropriate response to controversial political statements is evidence, clarification and lawful investigation, not sensationalism.

The people of Ebonyi State are capable of making their own political choices.

They do not need political merchants to manufacture fear on their behalf.

They need facts.

They need peace.

And, above all, they need an election in which every Ebonyian can freely decide who deserves their vote.

Chief Celestine Kojos Ekechi, is the Omemma 1 of Ezza Ezekuna