Umahi to Southeast: Vote Tinubu in 2027, Peter Obi can’t win with Igbo votes alone

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged voters in the Southeast to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in the 2027 presidential election, saying votes from the region alone cannot make Peter Obi president.

Umahi made the call in Okigwe, Imo State, after inspecting the ongoing 65-kilometre Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe federal road project.

The minister said the Southeast needed to be strategic in its political decisions, arguing that Tinubu had support from other parts of the country and had demonstrated commitment to infrastructure development in the region.

According to him, the Southeast should reciprocate the Federal Government’s interventions in the region by supporting Tinubu at the polls.

“We need to stand up for the President, we need to stand up for this champion, we need to stand up for this man that says Nigeria belongs to all of us, that South East is part of Nigeria,” Umahi said.

He added, “South East must vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. South East must know that our vote alone cannot make our brother, His Excellency Peter Obi, to be President.

“No, we have to be strategic.”

Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, said Obi remained his friend and former colleague, noting that both men had previously served as governors and contested for the presidency.

However, he urged Southeast voters not to support Obi in 2027.

“I don’t insult my brother, but I boldly say do not vote for His Excellency Peter Obi, vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Is there any crime in that?” he asked.

The minister also defended the Tinubu administration’s projects in the Southeast, saying the region should assess the government based on infrastructure delivery rather than political sentiments.

He said the ongoing Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe road project, being executed under the Federal Government’s tax-credit scheme with Dangote Industries Limited as sponsor and Hi-Tech Construction as contractor, had recorded significant progress, with more than 20 kilometres completed.

Umahi also highlighted a 60-metre-high mountain along the route, describing it as one of the most technically challenging sections of the project and a longstanding safety concern for motorists.

“This mountain, by the command of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must collapse for the people of South-East,” he said.

He said removing the mountain would improve road safety and help reduce fatalities along the corridor.

The minister also praised the concrete pavement being used on the road, describing it as superior to some methods used on other major Federal Government highways.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, Southeast, Chioma Nweze, also commended the Federal Government for prioritising road infrastructure in the region.

Nweze said the Afikpo-Uturu-Okigwe highway would improve connectivity between Ebonyi, Abia and Imo states, while opening up communities and markets to greater economic activity.

She listed the Enugu-Onitsha, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Enugu-Abakaliki, Abakaliki Trans-Sahara and Onitsha-Owerri roads among other major Federal Government projects ongoing in the Southeast.

She said the projects demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to addressing infrastructure gaps and strengthening the region’s integration into the national economy.

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