The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed the presidential ambition of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, describing him as “nobody” and insisting that the South-East has no credible presidential candidate for the 2027 general election.
Umahi made the remarks on Sunday during a town hall meeting in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital. The meeting was organised by the Directorate of Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
The former Ebonyi State governor urged people in the South-East to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, arguing that strategic political alliances would give the region a better chance of producing a president in the future.
According to Umahi, the South-East should prioritise political relationships with other regions instead of relying on sentiments, social media campaigns and confrontations with political opponents.
Umahi Questions Peter Obi’s Political Standing
During the meeting, Umahi questioned why Obi should be considered more qualified than other prominent political figures from the South-East, particularly those from Ebonyi State.
He mentioned former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former Minister of Education Sam Egwu, former Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Elias Mbam, and himself as examples of influential politicians from the region.
“You insult anybody that is not supporting Peter Obi. Anybody that is not supporting Peter Obi is a saboteur, you insult the person. Who is Peter Obi better than, who is here better than? Is he better than Sam Egwu? Is he better than Elias Mbam? Is he better than the Lion of South-East, myself? Is he better than Anyim Pius? Who is here better than?” Umahi asked.
He subsequently declared that the South-East had no presidential candidate for the 2027 election, despite Obi’s emergence as the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
“So, I don’t want us to be deceiving ourselves. We don’t have any presidential candidate in South-East. We have people that are vying. Ebonyi has a right to make a choice,” the minister said.
Why Umahi Wants the South-East to Support Tinubu
Umahi argued that supporting Tinubu for another four-year term would help the South-East strengthen its political relationships with other regions and improve its prospects of producing a president in the future.
He maintained that the region needed political wisdom and strategic alliances rather than emotional appeals or attacks against politicians who held different views.
“Igbo man needs wisdom, not sentiments. Igbo man should not allow people to be dishing hate speeches on social media on their behalf,” he said.
The minister also called on traditional rulers and religious leaders across the South-East to openly declare their support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election rather than remain neutral.
According to Umahi, the region should consider the long-term political implications of its decisions and build relationships that could prove beneficial when it seeks the presidency.
“My mouth will not shut up because I am telling our people for a reference for tomorrow. We are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to finish his remaining four years so that the South-East would have strategically supported another region. So that when it is our turn, we will not get this thing by hate speeches, they will not give to us by sentiments. It is strategic,” he stated.
Umahi Speaks on Obi’s One-Term Presidential Promise
Umahi also questioned the political feasibility of an arrangement in which a president from the South-East would serve only one four-year term before handing over power to another region.
His comments appeared to refer to Obi’s position that he would serve a single four-year term if elected president in 2027 and hand over power in 2031.
The former Anambra governor has presented the proposed arrangement as a commitment to national development and political fairness.
However, Umahi argued that it would be difficult to secure acceptance for such an arrangement, particularly from political stakeholders in the North.
“There is no way an Igbo man, after staying for 60 years, will want to be President for four years. There is nobody that can accept that. The North has not accepted to be President for four years,” he said.
The minister maintained that the South-East needed to approach its presidential ambitions with a clear political strategy rather than assume that support would automatically follow regional appeals.
Minister Claims South-East Has Benefited Under Tinubu
Umahi defended the Tinubu administration, arguing that the South-East had become more politically integrated under the current government.
He cited appointments into key government positions, including the Ministry of Works and the office of the Chief of the Air Staff, as examples of the region’s representation in the federal government.
“Today, our people in Commerce, we clear our goods with ease. Today, our roads are being revived in the path of economic activities. Today, we can boldly say we have been integrated,” Umahi stated.
He added that appointments involving ministers, service chiefs and senior special assistants demonstrated the administration’s inclusion of people from the South-East.
“The last time there was choosing of service chiefs, it was Naval Chief. This time, it is Chief of Air Staff, Minister of Works, other ministers, SSAs, what else? When I say South-East have been fully integrated and included, I mean it,” he said.
Umahi maintained that supporting Tinubu’s re-election would allow the region to strengthen its political relationships and improve its chances of securing the presidency in a future election.
Umahi Targets 1.3 Million Votes for Tinubu in Ebonyi
The Minister of Works also pledged to mobilise 1.3 million votes for Tinubu and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru in the 2027 general election.
Umahi said Ebonyi had approximately 1.8 million registered voters and argued that the state should deliver a substantial proportion of its votes to the APC candidates.
“We have 1.8 million registered voters in Ebonyi State. Let me tell you, if we are not donating 1.3 million votes for the President, for the governor, we are doing ourselves a disservice,” he said.
The pledge underscores the minister’s efforts to rally support for the APC in Ebonyi and across the wider South-East ahead of the next general election.
Peter Obi Criticises Tinubu Administration, Pledges National Reforms
Umahi’s comments come amid growing political positioning ahead of the 2027 presidential election, with Obi also presenting himself as a capable alternative to Tinubu and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar.
At a town hall meeting in Owerri, Imo State, Obi said he possessed the experience, competence and capacity required to address Nigeria’s challenges.
The former Anambra governor interacted with traders and other residents, discussing the country’s economic situation and criticising the Tinubu administration over rising poverty, hunger, insecurity and public debt.
Obi also questioned the President’s frequent foreign trips, claiming that Tinubu had spent more than 260 days outside Nigeria without spending a night in Imo State since assuming office.
He further claimed that more than 140 million Nigerians were living in multidimensional poverty, while approximately 18 million children were out of school.
Despite the challenges, Obi urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, promising that his proposed administration would prioritise security, national unity, healthcare, education and poverty reduction.
He also called on his supporters to protect their votes during the 2027 election, urging them to remain at polling units until final results were announced.
“Among the leading contenders, we believe we possess the experience, competence, capacity, commitment and readiness required to undertake the difficult but necessary task of turning Nigeria around,” Obi said.
As the 2027 election approaches, the contrasting positions of Umahi and Obi highlight the debate over political alliances, regional representation and the strategies different political figures believe could determine the South-East’s prospects of producing Nigeria’s next president.