A crisis appears to be brewing in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly after members demanded that Speaker Francis Nwifuru resign or face impeachment. Nwifuru, who is also the governor‑elect, has served as Speaker since 2015. A document titled “Ebonyi Speaker under fire to resign or risk impeachment,” signed by the Assembly’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Egede Sylvester, and obtained by our correspondent, states that members demanded the immediate resignation of Nwifuru and his deputy, Kingsley Ikoro, threatening impeachment if they did not comply. The document quotes Majority Leader Victor Chukwu speaking on behalf of his colleagues: “The members of the House are no longer satisfied with the leadership of the House under the administration of Chief Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and urge him to resign in his honour and for the betterment of the State Assembly and the state at large.”
In response, Speaker Nwifuru said he had listened to their plea, thanked them for airing their grievances, and urged caution for the peace and development of the state.
Sources among state power brokers told The … that the brewing face‑off is linked to an alleged demand by Governor Dave Umahi for the Assembly’s approval of a fresh N33 billion loan. Umahi reportedly wrote to the House seeking approval to borrow the money to complete certain projects before handing over on 29 May 2023. A source added that the House had already approved the release of N6 billion to settle accumulated gratuities and pensions owed to civil servants since 2015, when Governor Umahi first took office.
Reacting to the loan claim, Speaker and governor‑elect Nwifuru said the only request from the executive was for remittances from the excess crude account. “The request was for 60 percent of the funds from the Excess Crude Account to be used to offset the state’s liabilities to the Federal Government. We duly approved the request and you did not hear anything about loans,” he said. He also denied reports that Assembly members threatened him with impeachment if he did not resign to prepare for his swearing‑in as governor on 29 May. “I did not hear such a thing and do not know who told you about it. Such a report is fake. You should ask the Leader of the House and its Information Officer whom you claim told you this.”
Regarding the loan request, Special Assistant to Governor David Umahi on Media and Strategy, Mr. Chooks Okoh, said there was no official statement on the matter, but emphasized that whatever the governor does is always in the interest and development of the state.
