The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the February 6, 2027 election in Ebonyi State, Chief Ifeanyi Odii, has dismissed claims that he has stepped down for Governor Francis Nwifuru, insisting that he remains in the race.
Odii said he was determined to win the election and tackle hunger and poverty in the state, maintaining that he would not withdraw from the contest for anyone.
He stated this in his hometown of Isu, in the Onicha Local Government Area of the state, during a meeting with journalists on Sunday.
He said his party had given him its ticket and that he was contesting to offer the people of the state better governance, adding that they were yearning for improved leadership. Odii described the insinuation, which he attributed to the Minister of Works, David Umahi, as political manoeuvring.
“My party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), gave me its mandate through consensus. That means they found me suitable, but there was a need for intervention. As such, I am contesting to be the governor of Ebonyi State because I have a lot to offer in government. On the issue of whether I would accept a request to step down, I am sure that is just political manoeuvring. I don’t think we have to undermine democracy. I believe every man knows what the Constitution says, whether he is on the APC platform or the PDP platform, or whether he is my uncle.
“As I said, I respect him, but I have not been asked by him to step down, and I don’t think he should ask me to step down. I am contesting, and I want to say that I am still in the race. I am not giving up. I think you should be able to know me. You know my trajectory and how things have been. I am not even worried about the election because of myself. I have already got people who believe in me. I am very compassionate about how I want things to get better. When I look at how things are happening in Ebonyi, I am saddened.
“We should be talking about certain things and the general interests of the people, the betterment of Ebonyi, not only for today but for tomorrow. Good governance is what we need. Everybody should be concerned about it. A hungry man does not know whether he is coming from the South or the North. When you are hungry, nobody needs to tell you that you are hungry. We are trying to bring a government that will say goodbye to hunger in Ebonyi State. The government we want to bring will create employment, whether in the media space or in any other profession. That is what I stand for.
“We are doing door-to-door campaigns and reaching out to people. Remember, I have a platform. I talk about family life, and you know that the world is revolving around social media. I have a following of almost three million people across my social media platforms, with followers all over the world. I am there every day, engaging people. Anytime our campaign flag-off is announced, you will see what happens.
