The recent suspension of 85 public office holders including Commissioners in Ebonyi State by Governor Francis Nwifuru is an indication that all may not be well with the two-year old administration in the South-East state. Benjamin Nworie reports.
On July 27, 2025, Ebonyi state governor, Hon Francis Nwifuru, announced the suspension of 85 political office holders. The governor in a statement issued by his spokesman, Dr Monday Uzor, attributed the reason for the suspension of the officials to the failure of the affected appointees to attend government function.
The breakdown of the 85 appointees include
25 Commissioners, 14 Senior Special Assistants, 24 Special Assistants and 22 Permanent Secretaries. The governor also directed that the suspended appointees would continue to come to work within the one month period without salary.
This was not the first time Governor Nwifuru will be suspending his commissioners in similar circumstance. About four months ago, Nwifuru suspended three commissioners for being absent without permission during the State Executive Council meeting. The affected Commissioners were Solomon Azi(Grants and Donor Agencies), Victor Chukwu (Environment) and Ikeuwa Omebe (Rural Development. Unfortunately, two of the Commissioners vis Chukwu and Omebe were also among the 85 newly suspended appointees.
Many people have questioned the rational behind the recent suspension, especially when linked to absenteeism during a burial of a closed friend to Governor Nwifuru. This explanation was given in a reaction to some social media posts which had earlier alleged that the suspension was as a result of abseentism from Nwifuru’s daughter’s birthday.
In his clarification, Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Leo Ekene Oketa said: “the Governor’s official engagement for Friday, July 25, 2025 was a funeral at a place called Abofia in Ebonyi LGA of the state. The Governor, Chief Francis Nwifuru was to come back from Abuja on the same day and attend. Due to Air Peace delays on his flight on the same date, he instructed his Deputy Governor to represent him and directed all government officials to be there.
“The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on State Affairs went ahead and sent notification that the Governor had directed that attendance be taken at the function. So at the office, he requested for the attendance and directed the suspension of those who were not in attendance. This is not the first time the Governor has warned about government officials absenting themselves from government functions. This time, he had to act”.
These ugly developments have elicited reactions from the public to the extent that some people have started probing whether Nwifuru was actually in charge of his government or not.
To a large extent, many people had expected Nwifuru to wield the big stick against anyone who has involved himself or herself in anyway inimical to the realization of the much celebrated Ebonyi Peoples Charter of Needs. But after every threat, no punitive action has been sustained.
The government is over two years in office, and it has no formidable programme and policy directions for actualization. The realization of the Ebonyi Peoples Charter of Needs has been a routine rhetorics and chorus designed to massage the ego of the people, while nothing much is happening to that effect. Rather, the key players have resorted to propaganda and sycophancy.
It was expected that having been part of the past adminiatration of Governor David Umahi (2015 to 2023), Nwifuru should have copied some positives styles which Umahi adopted for the development of the state. It is still on record that Umahi was firmly in control of his government and pursued his policies, projects and programmes vigorously. If not for anything, Umahi brought Ebonyi to limelight with projects too numerous to mention.
However, Nwifuru may have chosen the opposite style. He has chosen to be simple, humble, easygoing and accomodating or what they use to call a listening governor. The policies and programmes embedded in Nwifuru’s Peoples Charter of Needs were marvelously articulated. Without mincing words, Nwifuru has good intentions to govern and make much impact, like his predeccessors but he is surrounded by “undeniable distractors and kinsmen” who saw the opportunity as “their turn”.
Also, the government has shown lack of competent manpower and team to drive its much projected people-oriented agenda. Many of the members of the State Executive Council are bunch of incompetent, visionless and inexperienced cabinet members that have little or nothing to offer in public service.
Nwifuru came to power, with the mindset that peace and unity should reign among stakeholders irrespective of political divide. He has achieved this subsantially by bringing almost all stakeholders to join his government.
All these strange political actors have come under one roof in Nwifuru’s government. Some of them were awarded contracts and also given some political slots. But, what Nwifuru may have forgotten is that the more “enemies” were reconciled to join the fold, the double his enemies when their common interest would be thwarted.
Perhaps, it is so because, a cusory look at the calibre of commissioners, would readily inform anyone that the governor has not taken time to scrutunize and strategize how to achieve his campaign mantra. Most of the commissioners and other aides were either appointed on recommendation or compensation for one reason or the other.
At many fora, Nwifuru had complained over sabotage on the execution of projects and policies. It is regrettable to note that majority, if not all the projects, started since 2023 when Nwifuru’s administration kicked off are still at their “shameful” stages of completion. Worst to mention is the two-kilometer roads awarded to all the communities in the state. Not only that the roads have been slow, the quality of the job is just below appreciable standard.
This is not the only problem Nwifuru’s government has. It is a kingdom that is against itself. The “notorious” Unwuera and Igbojima kindred dicotomy has resurrected. This dicotomy has become unabated clannish war in Izzi Clan, where Nwifuru hails from. The people of Unwuera kindred have alleged marginalizaion and exclusion in Nwifuru’s government.
In an open petition titled “Ethnic capture in Ebonyi: A crisis of justice under Governor Nwifuru’s Watch, A Call for urgent intervention”, Mr Cajetan Njoku alleged that his Unwuera kinsmen were sidelined.
But in a swift reaction, an umbrella body, Izzi Nnodo Youth Forum said it was false and futther called for Njoku’s arrest and prosecution.
Briefing newsmen in Abakaliki, the National President of the Forum, Chibueze Elom said that Governor Nwifuru has equitably distributed all political positions in the state.
Whatever the Unwuera wants to achieve may be immaterial now because whether he has performed or not, Nwifuru has gained a lot of endorsements for obvious reasons.
Other zones especially Ebonyi Central will prefer Nwifuru to finish his second term instead of gambling with a fresher who would “pretentiously” come with “single term agenda” in 2027.
Besides all these rhetorics, this is the time for Nwifuru to take decisive actions and come àgainst all forces militating against his government. He needs to speak up on many issues. These issues include stakeholders that have abandoned their contracts and other contractors handling various projects in the state. The governor also needs to speak up to his direct relatives who are currently making the state unfavourable for investors and local traders with exorbitant and outrageous levies and taxes.