By Chinedu Nwafor, Abakaliki
A group, Ogodo Fans’ Club Nigeria, has unanimously adopted Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru as its sole candidate for the 2027 Ebonyi State governorship election, describing continuity as “non-negotiable” for the state’s development.
The endorsement was contained in a communique issued yesterday at the end of a high-stakes strategic meeting of the group held at the residence of Chief Sunday Ogodo, in Amuzu, Ezza South Local Government Area of the State.
Hon Emeka Nwankwo, who read the communique on behalf of the National President, Hon Moses Elom, said the group arrived at the decision after a “forensic review” of the Governor’s first term in office.
“In less than four years of his administration, Governor Nwifuru has moved Ebonyi from potential to performance. The evidence is not theoretical. It is concrete, measurable and visible in every nook and cranny of the State,” the communique read.
It cited the administration’s ‘People’s Charter of Needs’ for achievements in road infrastructure, healthcare upgrades, education, workers’ welfare, security, and youth and women empowerment.
“Roads that once isolated communities are now arteries of commerce. Rural farmers can move produce to market with ease. Hospitals and primary health centers have received deliberate attention. Schools are being equipped, and teachers are being retained,” the communique said.
It added that workers’ welfare “long treated as an after-thought has been placed at the centre of governance,” while youths and women have been given “real platforms, real funding and real responsibilities, not token appointments for photographs.”
The Club made four key declarations thus: unwavering commitment to the welfare, unity and collective advancement of its people, full support for peace, political equity and zoning, with the governorship remaining in Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone in line with the established arrangement.
The group vowed to resist “by every legitimate means” any attempt to subvert the “unequivocal, irreversible, and irrevocable endorsement” of Nwifuru as its sole governorship candidate for 2027, and unwavering support for all the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates, from President to House of Assembly.
“There will be no divided loyalty. Neutrality is not an option when progress is on the ballot,” it said.
The group said interrupting the current administration in 2027 would amount to “economic sabotage and political betrayal,” arguing that “a second term is not a reward, it is a necessity to complete signature projects and consolidate reforms.”
It called on all Ebonyians at home and in the diaspora to “rise above petty divisions and party affiliations, and embrace continuity,” and declared that “2027 must be a referendum on performance, not propaganda.”
The club directed all zonal coordinators, local government area chairmen, and ward leaders to commence “aggressive voter awareness campaigns, door-to-door engagement and constant feedback from communities.”
“Ogodo Fans Club does not gamble with destiny. We have watched, we have documented, and we have compared. The difference between noise and good governance is clear.
“His Excellency represents good governance and for the sake of our future and accelerated development, we declare him our sole candidate, unopposed and unshakable choice come 2027. One governor, One agenda, One APC, One Ebonyi come 2027,” it stated.
Ogodo Fans Club Nigeria described itself as a socio-economic and socio-political organisation registered to promote the welfare, unity and development of its members, and to provide “principled leadership and constructive engagement on political matters across Ebonyi State.”
The vision bearer of the group and former two-term Chairman of Ezza South Local Government Area, Ogodo, said the endorsement was informed by Nwifuru’s developmental strides and what he described as the governor’s uncommon love for the people of Ezza Clan.