Ebonyi, created in 1996 from parts of Abia and Enugu, is the smallest state in the South-East by population and one of its most politically predictable. The PDP won every governorship election from 1999 to 2019, usually by very wide margins, and no sitting governor has ever been voted out. The big change came in 2020, when Governor Dave Umahi took the state into the APC.
1999 and 2003: Egwu
Sam Egwu won the January 1999 election for the PDP with 272,559 votes. In April 2003 he was re-elected with 768,674 votes, beating the ANPP’s Lawrence Nwauruku. Turnout was officially more than 80% of registered voters. Egwu later became Minister of Education and a senator.
2007 and 2011: Elechi
Martin Elechi, a veteran politician, won in April 2007 with 506,444 votes against 28,579 for the ANPP’s Ogbonnaya Onu, the former Abia governor of the Third Republic. In April 2011 he was re-elected with 287,217 votes against 125,248 for the ANPP’s Julius Ucha.
2015 and 2019: Umahi
Elechi’s deputy, David Nweze Umahi, an engineer and businessman, won the PDP ticket in December 2014 after a public falling-out with his boss, who backed another candidate. On 11 April 2015 Umahi won with 289,867 votes against 124,817 for the Labour Party’s Edward Nkwegu. In March 2019 he was re-elected with 393,043 votes (81.5%) against 81,703 for the APC’s Sonni Ogbuoji.
In November 2020 Umahi left the PDP for the APC, citing the party’s treatment of the South-East. He sought the APC presidential ticket in 2022 and was appointed Minister of Works in 2023.
2023: the Speaker succeeds the governor
Umahi’s choice, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, the Speaker of the state assembly, won the APC ticket. The PDP’s nomination was settled only by the Supreme Court in September 2022, in favour of Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii. On 18 March 2023 Nwifuru won with 199,131 votes (58.1%) against 80,191 for Odii and 52,189 for Bernard Odoh of APGA, a former Secretary to the State Government. The Supreme Court affirmed Nwifuru’s election in January 2024.
The results at a glance
| Year | Winner (party) | Votes | Runner-up (party) | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Sam Egwu (PDP) | 272,559 | APP candidate | not published |
| 2003 | Sam Egwu (PDP) | 768,674 | Lawrence Nwauruku (ANPP) | not published |
| 2007 | Martin Elechi (PDP) | 506,444 | Ogbonnaya Onu (ANPP) | 28,579 |
| 2011 | Martin Elechi (PDP) | 287,217 | Julius Ucha (ANPP) | 125,248 |
| 2015 | Dave Umahi (PDP) | 289,867 | Edward Nkwegu (LP) | 124,817 |
| 2019 | Dave Umahi (PDP) | 393,043 | Sonni Ogbuoji (APC) | 81,703 |
| 2023 | Francis Nwifuru (APC) | 199,131 | Ifeanyi Odii (PDP) | 80,191 |
2027: Nwifuru against Odii, again
Nwifuru is seeking a second term on the APC ticket in the 6 February 2027 election. INEC’s final list shows Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii as the PDP candidate again, with Ukpai Mba Udeh for the ADC, Eze Oko Splendour for the Labour Party and Nwodom Lucy Chinwe for APGA (names as INEC lists them).
