The Association of Ebonyi Indigenes Socio-Cultural in the Diaspora (AEISCID) has given a 48-hour ultimatum for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, apologise and withdraw his alleged threats against the people of Ezza clan in the state.

The Ebonyi indigenes said it viewed, heard and read with utmost discontentment the utterances credited to Hon Nwifuru where he threatened the Ezza people to either vote for him or live to regret it, at the weekend’s flag-off of the APC’s Local Government Area rallies at the Onueke Township stadium, Ezza South LGA of the state.

The APC governorship candidate had reportedly said: “Ezza people, you will regret it if you don’t vote for me. For the people of Ezza nation, listen; why I said that you will regret it if you don’t vote for me is because as a son of the soil, I believe in justice and equity.

“This time around is the time for us to show capacity and how we can show capacity is to vote for APC; if you do not vote for APC, no other government will hand over power to Ezza nation. It’s only my government, that is if you vote massively for me, and I get over 100 per cent votes, I will then speak in your favour in the committee of the stakeholders of our great state.”

But responding to the alleged threat through a statement signed Monday in Abuja by the AEISCID President General, Amb Pascal Oluchchukwu, demanded an apology within 48 hours from the APC governorship candidate to the people of Ezza Ezekuna worldwide over what is considered an “insensitive and incendiary comments in their ancestral soil.”

According to Oluchukwu, the people are shocked but not surprise that what ought to have been a veritable platform and an opportunity to formally woo voters became for the APC candidate and his party a time to intimidate, threaten and bully innocent Ebonyi electorates.

“For us in AEISCID, the clamour for equity and justice by Nwifuru and his APC team of “EmiLokan” apologists in Ebonyi- sort of a local brand of the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu who believes not in capacity, credibility or even competence but “It’s my turn”, his argument falls very flat on ground going by the statistics and realities available to reasonable Ebonyians.

The realities on ground is actually the major reason this body is insistent that only competent, capable and credible candidates can save the impoverished State in the 2023 general elections.

“Another reality we are aware of and which we would like to buttress here for the purposes of those who may feign ignorant is that the Izzi clan where Nwifuru hails from has even enjoyed more political privileges and opportunities in terms of appointments and elective positions than the people of Ezza Ezekuna. That’s why we believe strongly that he failed woefully in his argument and touting of “equity and justice” during his rather threatening speech at Onueke Township stadium.

While urging the Ezza  people to remain calm, the group threatened to sue the APC governorship candidate if he fails to apologise within 48-hours.

“Consequently, this group demands an apology within 48 hours from the APC Governorship candidate to the great people of Ezza Ezekuna worldwide over his insensitive and incendiary comments in their ancestral soil. Failure to do so, AEISCID will prepare lawyers to sue him for threats to lives and defamation of the character of the good people of Ezza nation.

“In the meantime, we urge the people of Ezza Ezekuna worldwide and indeed, all Ebonyians who may have been assaulted, harassed, intimidated or threatened by the APC-led government, it’s candidates or army of dangerous occupations in Ebonyi to please remain calm, peaceful, law abiding and above all hopeful that if they do they right things by voting in the right candidates and rejecting the evil Party called APC in all the polls come February 25th and March 11th elections, they would have liberated themselves only with their PVCs against the forces of threats and intimidations.

“For those yet to collect their PVCs, they should seize the new window offered by the electoral body- INEC to go and get their PVCs and vote for only credible candidates who’s manifesto and messages speaks to issues and not candidates who speak, act or behave like highway political touts.”