The governor’s remarks have raised many fundamental questions, including the independence of local government areas and their chairmen, as well as the executive influence of sitting governors in Nigeria.
Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has threatened to remove any chairman who fails to win his council area for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state during the 2027 general elections.
A video clip which showed the governor making the controversial remarks has gone viral on social media.
“As a local government chairman, if you like, go and sleep so that another person will take over your house.
“You will not stop us (APC) from winning. But when we win, we will remove you,” he told the newly inaugurated chairmen.
The governor maintained that he was not interested in hiding his stance on sacking the local government chairmen who failed to secure victory for the APC in their council areas in 2027.
“It is also not hidden. So let the front page of a newspaper show it tomorrow: we will remove a council chairman who did not win in his local government. We will use your councillors and remove you,” he reiterated.
He urged the chairmen not to allow the opposition to win in their areas because “charity begins at home”.
Mr Nwifuru was first elected governor of Ebonyi State in 2023 under the APC platform. His first four-year tenure will elapse by 29 May 2027. He is seeking re-election in 2027.
Mr Nwifuru’s remarks have raised many fundamental questions, including the independence of local government areas and their chairmen, as well as the influence of governors in Nigeria.
A turning point in the attempt to achieve the independence of local government came in July 2024 when the Supreme Court delivered a ruling, upholding a federal government suit seeking to enforce financial independence for local governments.
In a unanimous decision, a seven-member panel declared it unconstitutional for state governments to retain or manage funds meant for local councils.
The court ordered that allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to local governments, as provided under Section 162 (5–8) of the Nigerian Constitution.
Despite the ruling, many state governments have continued to channel local government funds through joint accounts, a practice the court deemed unlawful.
For instance, in October of 2024, Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State signed the Anambra State Local Government Administration Bill into law.
The law compels local governments in the state to remit a portion of their federal allocations into a consolidated account controlled by the state government.
Observers said the law was at variance with the Supreme Court ruling, which affirmed the financial autonomy of the country’s local governments.
Beyond the independence of council areas and their chairmen, the Ebonyi governor’s remarks also raised another question: whether governors have the unilateral power to remove an elected local government chairman.
Obioma Ezenwobodo, an Abuja-based legal practitioner, told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Nwifuru has no power to remove any local government chairman.
Mr Ezenwobodo stressed that Ebonyi State has a local law that governs the operations of its local government areas.
“The councillors can impeach the local government chairmen. So, the governor doesn’t have the power to remove an elected local government chairman,” he said.
The lawyer also cited the Supreme Court ruling, which affirmed the autonomy of the country’s local governments.
He further cited another Supreme Court ruling that held that local governments are not under the state’s control.
