The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has attributed the overwhelming victory of Peter Obi in the South-East during the 2023 presidential election to the alleged marginalisation of the region by the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Umahi, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said the situation has changed under President Bola Tinubu, expressing confidence that the President will win all five states in the South-East in 2027.
He also dismissed the threat of Obi, who is now the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to Tinubu’s re-election bid.
According to the minister, Obi is not the only aspirant from the South-East, and his influence has waned.
“By the way, it is not only Peter Obi that is from the South-East that is contesting. We have about three or four other presidential candidates who are contesting,” Umahi said.
“We have the Labour Party and I think there are other two, even a woman is involved. So, Peter Obi is not a threat as far as I am concerned,” he said.
Umahi said he was not underestimating the former Anambra State governor, but noted that the APC’s performance in office would be its major selling point in the South-East.
He recalled that in the 2023 presidential election, Obi, who was then the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), swept all five states in the region.
The former Ebonyi State governor argued that the outcome was a protest against the exclusion of the South-East from key positions under Buhari.
“I will not blame the South-East in the last election because, virtually, we were not fairly treated by the past administration. Service chiefs, we got none; major ministerial portfolios, we got none. And so, the marginalisation continued, and they even increased at that point. And so you will not totally blame them for that,” Umahi said.
He said President Tinubu has addressed the imbalance through strategic appointments.
“But now, the story is totally different. I’m the Minister of Works; we have never had a Minister of Works before. We have a Minister of Foreign Affairs; we have a Minister of Science and Industry. We are very happy with the appointments we’ve got. They’re very happy. Now, we have done quite a lot,” he said.
Umahi spoke as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 presidential election.
