By CHARLES IWUOHA

Former Senate President and chieftain of opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, has endorsed the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon.Francis Nwifuru, for the forthcoming governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls.

This has put to rest weeks of speculations for who of the governorship candidates Anyim is supporting.

The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), who contested the 2022 PDP presidential primary, disclosed this to journalists at his country home, Ishiagu in lvo Local Government Area of the state, during the APC Townhall meeting on Wednesday.

The APC townhall meeting was convened at the instance of Governor David Umahi, who has been touring the LGAs of the state, ahead of the March 18 elections.

Anyim noted that it was the turn of the North senatorial zone to produce the Governor and that he had thrown his weight behind the APC governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Francis Nwifuru.

“I believe in power rotation and I’m in support of power returning to Ebonyi North zone and the candidate is the APC governorship candidate,” Anyim said.

The governorship candidate of the PDP in the State, Dr Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, hails from the same zone (Ebonyi South) with the incumbent Governor David Umahi and Senator Anyim.

Odii emerged the PDP Governorship Candidate after a protracted legal tussle between his camp and a faction loyal to Anyim which had Senator Obinna Ogba representing Ebonyi Central Senatorial zone, as its preferred governorship candidate.

The decision of Anyim came as a surprise to many, following the cold war that had existed between him and Governor Umahi.

News Expressrecalls that the duo of Anyim and Governor Umahi had publicly fallen out apart after the Governor defected from the PDP to the APC in 2021.

Umahi even went as far as sacking all his political appointees who are believed to be loyal to Anyim.