Ebonyi ADC Reps Candidate Defects To APC, Backs Tinubu

Ambassador Ephraim Iyke Nwonu, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State, has announced his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Nwonu made the announcement on Saturday in Abuja, saying he had decided to abandon his ambition to contest the House of Representatives seat and instead support President Bola Tinubu and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru.

According to reports, Nwonu said his name was still listed on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal as the ADC candidate, but he had chosen to withdraw from the race in favour of supporting Tinubu and the state governor.

“I am the official ADC candidate for the Ezza South/Ikwo Federal Constituency on the INEC portal, but I have decided to jettison and sacrifice that ambition because of my unalloyed support for Mr President and my state governor,” he said.

Nwonu said he would work with APC stakeholders in Ebonyi State and his constituency to support the President and the governor ahead of the 2027 elections.

He also said his political relationship with Tinubu dated back to 1992, when the President was a senator alongside his late political mentor, Senator Polycarp Nwite. According to Nwonu, Nwite later appointed him secretary of the defunct Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in Ebonyi State.

Explaining his decision to switch parties, Nwonu pointed to several federal infrastructure projects in Ebonyi and neighbouring states. Among those he mentioned were the Ndibe Beach Bridge linking Afikpo North in Ebonyi to Itigidi in Cross River State, the 125.5-kilometre road corridor spanning parts of Cross River, Ebonyi, Benue, Nasarawa and Abuja, and the ongoing dualisation of the Enugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja Expressway.

He also cited the Onuebonyi-Vanco Junction-Abakaliki-Afikpo road, the Peat Junction flyover in Onueke and the Obubra-Noyo-Oferekpe interstate road as projects he attributed to the Tinubu administration.

Nwonu further claimed that 23 federal appointments had been given to Ebonyi indigenes under the current administration, describing the figure as a significant share of national appointments received by the state.

On the 2027 presidential election, Nwonu dismissed the possibility of Peter Obi posing a challenge to Tinubu in the South-East and expressed confidence in the President’s prospects in the region. His assessment was presented as his personal political view.

Nwonu also referred to findings from a survey he said was conducted by his non-governmental organisation in collaboration with the Ebonyi State Ministry of Information. He claimed the findings showed growing recognition of the administration’s achievements among residents and said this would translate into support for Tinubu at the polls.

The reported defection comes as political parties and their candidates position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections.