2027: Don’t deceive yourself, South-east not your political stronghold anymore, Umahi tells Obi

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on Friday, told the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, to zero his mind from thoughts that he would secure the votes of the people of the South-east in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that the region is not the former Anambra governor’s “political stronghold.”

Speaking in Onueke, Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi state while inspecting ongoing federal government road projects, Umahi said the voting pattern that favoured Obi in the South-east during the 2023 presidential election was an “accident of history” which would not be repeated in the next election.

The minister expressed confidence that the people of the South-east would overwhelmingly support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, citing the administration’s infrastructure projects and other interventions across the region.

He accused Obi of seeking the presidency “at all costs,” alleging that the former governor had continued to make statements aimed at portraying himself as the region’s undisputed political leader.

Umahi also dismissed Obi’s recent claim that his life was under threat, saying no one was after the opposition presidential hopeful and alleging that the statement was calculated to attract public sympathy.

He said, “Who is after him? Nobody is after him. We want him to be on the ballot because it will make the victory very sweet. He says the South-east is his catchment area, but I am saying that the South-east is not his catchment area.

“What happened in 2023 was an accident of history, and it is going to be proven in 2027 because the South-east will massively vote for President Tinubu.”

The former Ebonyi state governor clarified that he had no personal disagreement with Obi, adding that his intervention was intended to correct what he described as “false narratives” about the political mood in the South-east.

“There’s nothing personal between me and Peter Obi, but he should speak the truth to help the people of the South-east,” he said.

Umahi accused Obi of persistently attempting to discredit President Tinubu and his administration, vowing that he would continue to respond to any statement he considered misleading or capable of undermining the achievements of the federal government.