Fact-check: Did Father of Ebonyi Governor, Nwifuru Marry 17 Wives, Father Over 100 Children?
A viral image showing a man surrounded by several women—seventeen in total—has been circulating on social media. The accompanying text claims that the man is the father of the current Ebonyi State governor, Mr. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, and that the women are his wives.
It further states that all of them have delivered a total of 108 children for him, including the governor himself.
The text also suggests that instead of the man, Chief Ezekiel Nwifuru Nwamkpu
engaging in casual relationships with women, the man “dutifully and legally married 17 women,” removing them from the streets.
The message reads:
“Meet the newly crowned Igbo king and his 17 wives, who have given birth to 108 children, including the current Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, from Agbaja community in Izzi LGA of Ebonyi State.
“001: His Royal Highness, Eze Ezekiel Nwifuru Nwankpu
“His 17 wives:
1.Mrs. Nwankwo Nwifuru
- Mrs. Nwophe Nwifuru
3.Mrs. Nwodom Nwifuru
4.Mrs. Okweru Nnenna Nwifuru
5.Mrs. Okemini Nwifuru
6.Mrs. Rose Nwifuru
7.Mrs. Nwanyigwe Nwifuru (K’ezia)
8.Mrs. Mbam Nwifuru
9.Mrs. Mary Nwifuru
10.Mrs. Augustina Nwifuru
11.Mrs. Grace Nwifuru
12.Mrs. Uzoma Nwifuru
13.Mrs. Nwanyigwe Nwifuru
14.Mrs. Roza Nwifuru
15.Mrs. Obioma Nwogbala Nwifuru
16.Mrs. Obiageli Nwifuru
17.Mrs. Marcelina Nwifuru
“This man, instead of sleeping with 17 women in hotels and abandoning them, as is common today, dutifully and legally removed 17 women from the streets through marriage. None of these women has ever accused him of ‘CHEATING.’ This beautiful culture was destroyed by modernisation. ????????????.”
Verification:
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To verify the claim, PRNigeria conducted a reverse image search. According to findings, a report published by Premium Times, confirmed that the governor’s father, Ezekiel Nwifuru, initially married 30 women and has 108 children. This was also confirmed by his son, Governor Francis Nwifuru, during his father’s coronation as the traditional ruler of the newly established Oferekpe Agbaja Autonomous Community on December 8, 2024.
Another finding after subjecting the picture to a reverse image search using Yandex, a picture verification tool, confirmed during AriseTV’s The Morning Show Discussion, involving presenters Ojy Okpe, Oseni Rufai and veteran journslists Reuben Abati that the governor’s father is currently married to 17 wives, with 108 children, out of which 20 of them are university graduates.
Also, in another independent investigation by PRNigeria Factcheck, Governor Nwifuru was seen in a video explaining how his father originally married 30 women, but the number was reduced to 19 after some wives were removed from the family for not bearing children. Of the 19 remaining wives according to him who bore the 108 children, the traditional ruler currently lives with 17.
The governor further clarified that his father’s decision to marry multiple women stemmed from the challenges he faced after unexpectedly becoming wealthy through his hard work as a farmer. His success, he said led to envy and intimidation from family members, especially that of his step brothers in their Agbaja community.
According to the governor, as published by Blueprint Newspaper, these challenges motivated his father to marry many wives, seeking companionship and assistance in achieving his goals.
“My father’s decision to marry many wives was influenced by the intimidation and humiliation he endured from villagers in his quest for greatness,” the governor said.
Further verification by PRNigeria, which involving keyword searches, corroborated the story: the governor’s father initially married 30 wives, reduced to 19 after some were removed for failing to bear children, and currently lives with 17 of them.
Conclusion: findings by PRNigeria as corroborated by many news sources and blogs confirmed that the father of Ebonyi State’s governor, an igbo monarch, currently lives with 17 out of the 30 wives he married in his lifetime.
PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim that the father of the current Ebonyi State governor, Mr. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, married 17 women and bore over 100 children is True.
By PRNigeria
