Anybody who is coming to challenge my governor in the next election is embarking on what we call a wild goose chase
By Eze Victor, Abakaliki
365Daily – The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate and Senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi, has said Ebonyi State governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru would be difficult to defeat in the 2027 governorship election, citing the administration’s infrastructure and human capital development initiatives.
Nwebonyi remarked on Saturday while speaking at his polling unit at Community Primary School, Mbeke Ishieke, in Ebonyi Local Government Area during the 2026 local government elections.
The senator, who said he had visited about five polling units, described voter turnout as encouraging and attributed it to what he called the growing popularity of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
According to him, the turnout reflected growing support for the ruling party, which he linked to what he described as Nwifuru’s achievements in the state.
“The turnout is encouraging. It is suggesting that Ebonyi State is APC and APC is Ebonyi State,” Nwebonyi said.
He argued that the governor’s performance had strengthened his political position ahead of the 2027 election, describing attempts to unseat him as unlikely to succeed.
“You can see a purposeful leader. You can see a man who is working for tomorrow. You can see a man with foresight,” he said.
“Therefore, anybody who is coming to challenge my governor in the next election is embarking on what we call a wild goose chase.”
Nwebonyi particularly praised Nwifuru’s human capital development programmes, saying the administration had created opportunities for Ebonyi indigenes to pursue higher and specialised education, including studies outside Nigeria.
The senator also commended President Bola Tinubu, saying the Federal Government’s infrastructure initiatives and road projects had increased confidence in the APC among people in the South-East.
He said ongoing federal road projects connecting the South-East with other parts of the country would improve transportation, strengthen economic integration and create opportunities for businesses and communities.
Nwebonyi singled out the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja highway project, describing it as a major economic corridor that would enhance the movement of people and goods across several states.
He also credited the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, for introducing innovations into road construction, particularly the use of concrete pavement technology on major federal highways.
While commending Umahi, the former Ebonyi governor, Nwebonyi urged Nigerians to assess leaders based on the quality and impact of their projects rather than personal differences.
“If you don’t like his face, please like what he is doing. You may not like him as a person, but you must appreciate the quality of work he is doing,” he said.
The lawmaker maintained that his support for the APC at both the federal and state levels was based on what he described as tangible development rather than political sentiment.
“Leadership is not rhetoric. Leadership is putting on the ground life-impacting projects that even the unborn generation will come and see,” he said.
Nwebonyi also highlighted some of his constituency projects, including road construction, educational interventions, scholarships, street lighting and market development.
He said more than 900 students from Ebonyi North and other areas had benefited from his scholarship programme, while several infrastructure projects were ongoing across communities in the senatorial district.
The senator further disclosed that a regional market was being developed along the new highway corridor to strengthen agricultural trade and provide farmers and traders with access to wider markets.
He said the project was expected to be completed by December and commissioned thereafter.