Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has urged former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, to drop his 2027 presidential ambition, stating that it’s not yet the turn of the Igbo to produce Nigeria’s president.
Umahi noted that the Southeast should support President Bola Tinubu instead, citing key appointments and infrastructure projects in the region as evidence of the president’s goodwill.
Umahi made the remarks while speaking with newsmen during an inspection of the reconstruction of the 56-kilometre Aba section of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway in Abia State.
He highlighted ongoing projects like the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and the Onitsha-Owerri corridor, noting that the region has never had a Minister of Works until now.
“Unless we are not telling ourselves the truth, there is no more marginalisation in the Southeast,” Umahi stated.
“We have never had a Minister of Works from this region until now. It is time for the Southeast to be strategic and support President Tinubu. We should tell our brother, Peter Obi, that it is not yet our turn.”
He added that the Southeast must build alliances with other parts of the country, noting that the 2027 general election offers an opportunity for the Igbo to reciprocate what he described as the President’s goodwill towards the zone.
“To have given Southeast the Minister of Works portfolio, we have never been Minister of Works, and you can see the product and the intention and good heart of the President, and so, it is time for a payback. You all know the amount of work from Port Harcourt 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. I was a Deputy Governor and then Governor for 8 years. No single project came to that state, but today, we can boast of a number of projects that are ongoing. We can boast of trillions of naira projects going on in the Southeast, like in other regions.
“The test legacy project of the President is in the Southeast. We have a service chief, we have key appointments and a lot that is going on in the Southeast under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So, it is time to support the President; the people of the Southeast should support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“We should not engage in sentiments. We should not engage in non-strategic moves. We should tell our brother, Peter Obi, that it is not yet our turn; when it is our turn, Nigerians and Southeast people will know when it is our turn.”
Umahi also disclosed that the current administration inherited 2,068 ongoing projects valued at ₦13 trillion and is working to ensure their completion.
He commended local contractors, announcing a new construction approach to guarantee durability.
