Minister of Works David Umahi has predicted that President Bola Tinubu will receive 90 per cent of the South-East’s votes in the 2027 presidential election, while advising former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi to shelve his ambitions because it is not yet the region’s turn to produce the president.
Umahi made the remarks on Saturday, February 14, while inspecting the Alaoji axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.
The minister said the South-East should be strategic in its political decisions rather than chase what he described as sentimental pursuits.
“The people of the south-east should support the president. We should not be guided by sentiments or non-strategic moves. We should tell our brother, Peter Obi, that it is not yet our turn,” Umahi said.
He argued that Tinubu had done more for the South-East than any previous administration and that the region owed the president its loyalty at the ballot box.
“All the marginalisation we complain about has been addressed by the president — unless we are not being truthful to ourselves, there is no more marginalisation in the south-east,” he said.
Umahi cited his own appointment as a sign of Tinubu’s commitment to the region.
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“You know, giving the ministry of works to the south-east is no mean feat, because we have never had a minister of works,” he said.
“You can see the results and the intention of the president. You can see the good heart of the president. So it’s time for payback,” he added.
The minister pointed to the volume of ongoing federal road projects across the region as evidence that the South-East had never received as much attention from the federal government.
“When I was deputy governor, then governor for eight years, not a single federal road project came to the state. But today, we can boast of numerous projects ongoing,” he said.
“We can boast of projects worth trillions of naira in the south-east, just like in other regions. The biggest legacy projects of the president are in the south-east,” he added.
He also highlighted key appointments given to the region under Tinubu’s administration.
“We have service chiefs, key appointments, and a lot happening in the south-east under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So it’s time to support the president,” Umahi said.