Umahi Says It’s Not Igbo’s Turn for Presidency, Urges Support for Tinubu

Politics

ABA, NIGERIA: Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has downplayed the presidential aspiration of former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, a leading contender in the 2027 elections. Speaking during an inspection of the ongoing Aba–Port Harcourt Road project, Umahi praised President Bola Tinubu’s administration for what he described as unprecedented infrastructural development in the Southeast.

“I thank Mr President for the Southeast people. All the marginalisation—unless we are not telling ourselves the truth—there is no more marginalisation in the Southeast,” Umahi said. “We never had a Minister of Works, and you can see the product of it. You can see the intention of the president. You can see the good heart of the president. And so it’s time for payback.”

Highlighting projects across the region, Umahi noted, “You all know the amount of work from Port Harcourt down to Enugu. There is no section of this work that is not going on for completion. Never in the history of Nigeria have we benefited as such.” He recalled that during his years as deputy governor and later governor of Ebonyi State, no federal road projects were executed in the state, but now “several projects worth trillions of naira are ongoing in the Southeast, just like in other regions.”

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He also pointed to key appointments under Tinubu’s administration, including a service chief from the Southeast, as evidence of inclusion. “We have a lot going on in the Southeast under President Bola Tinubu. So it’s a time to support the president. The people of Southeast should support President Bola Tinubu,” Umahi said.

To ensure continuity of federal projects, Umahi added, “We should tell our brother Peter Obi, it’s not our turn now. When it is our turn, Nigerians will know, and Southeast people will know. No matter the noise anybody is making, he that has started this good work, President Bola Tinubu, God has given him the grace to complete it. We don’t want any other person that will come and stop all these projects.”

He concluded by calling for prayers for the president and his team: “So we have to pray for the president. We have to pray for all those who are working with him. Criticise us and praise us, nothing goes wrong. The important thing is that our eye is on the ball, and our eyes are closed in prayers for the president, and our hands are raised in appreciation to God Almighty for giving us President Bola Tinubu.”