2027: ‘The South East has no presidential candidate, we are supporting Tinubu’ – Umahi declares

Minister of Works David Umahi has said the South-East has no viable presidential candidate for the 2027 election, urging the region to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Speaking on Sunday at a town hall meeting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, organised by the Directorate of Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Umahi said the region had aspirants but no candidate capable of commanding a consensus.

“Let us stop deceiving ourselves. We do not have a presidential candidate in the South-East for 2027. We only have aspirants, and Ebonyi has the right to make its own choice,” he said.

Umahi also questioned the credentials of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), asking whether he was better than prominent South-East leaders, including former Senate President Pius Anyim, former Education Minister Sam Egwu, former chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Elias Mbam, and Umahi himself.

“If you don’t support Peter Obi, you are labeled a saboteur and insulted. But who is Peter Obi better than? Is he better than Sam Egwu? Is he better than Elias Mbam? Is he better than the ‘Lion of the South-East’, myself? Is he better than Anyim Pius Anyim? Whom is he better than?” he asked.

The minister argued that backing Tinubu for a second term would help the South-East secure support from other regions when it is time for the presidency to rotate to the zone.

He said an Igbo president would need more than one term to provide effective leadership, insisting that the region should build strategic alliances rather than rely on sentiment.

“There is no way an Igbo man, after waiting for 60 years, will accept being President for only four years. Nobody will accept that, and the North will certainly not agree to a four-year presidency,” Umahi said.

“An Igbo man needs wisdom, not sentiment. We must not allow individuals to dish out hate speech on social media on our behalf. Today, our business people clear their goods with ease, and our roads are being rehabilitated to drive economic activity.”

Umahi said the South-East had become more integrated into the Federal Government under Tinubu, citing appointments to key positions.

“Today, we can boldly say we are integrated,” he said.

“In the past, when service chiefs were selected, we only had the Chief of Naval Staff. This time, we have the Chief of Air Staff, the Minister of Works, several other ministers, and Senior Special Assistants. When I say the South-East has been fully integrated and included, I mean it.”

The minister said he was prepared to defend his position because he believed the region needed to establish a political foundation for its future presidential ambition.

“My mouth will not be shut because I am laying down a reference point for tomorrow. We are supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to complete his remaining four years so that the South-East strategically earns the support of another region,” he said.

“When it is our turn, we won’t get it through hate speech or sentiment; it will be through strategic alliances. Yet, when leaders in the South-East point this out, they are insulted.”

Umahi also appealed to traditional rulers and religious leaders, particularly the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), to openly support Tinubu rather than remain neutral.

“I want to tell our religious leaders and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN): do not stay on the fence,” he said.

He recalled CAN’s support during his bid to become governor, urging the association to take a position in the current political climate.

“CAN should not keep quiet now. Let us toe the path that sustains our collective freedom,” he said.

Umahi urged traditional and religious leaders to guide their communities, arguing that political leaders in the North and South-West did not remain neutral during elections.

“Traditional fathers and religious leaders must not sit on the fence. Our people in the North don’t sit on the fence; our people in the South-West don’t sit on the fence. Guide our people and let them know the truth,” he said.

On the 2027 governorship election in Ebonyi, Umahi dismissed opposition parties challenging Governor Francis Nwifuru’s re-election bid as “jokers”, adding that he would not allow another party to take over the state.

He said Ebonyi had 1.8 million registered voters and challenged the state to deliver at least 1.3 million votes for Tinubu and Nwifuru.

“We have 1.8 million registered voters in Ebonyi State. If we do not deliver at least 1.3 million votes for the President and the Governor, then we are doing ourselves a great disservice,” he said.

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