Minister of Works, David Umahi, has stated that the South-East region, predominantly inhabited by the Igbo, should not expect to produce Nigeria’s president in 2027.
According to him, political fairness and national stability require that President Bola Tinubu be allowed to complete two terms in office.
Speaking with journalists on Sunday in Abuja, Umahi made it clear that the Igbo must be patient and strategic, rather than insist it is their turn so soon after the 2023 general elections.
“No, it is not our time; it is not the time of South-East yet,” he said. “We, the 17 southern governors, went to Asaba before 2023, and we went to say, listen, it doesn’t matter the political party, but the next president should come from the south.”
Although he acknowledged that South-Easterners also contested the 2023 presidency, he stressed that Tinubu’s victory should be respected and supported for continuity. “It is wrong for the South-East to come and say it is their turn,” he added.
Umahi argued that Tinubu’s presidency is representative of both southern and northern interests and must be allowed to span the constitutionally permitted eight years. “No, he (Tinubu) has to finish the eight years. The eight years he took is for all of us, both the South and the North. So he has to finish, and when he has finished in 2031, the South-East can now vie, in the sense that they have never tasted the position before.”
He emphasized that the South-East has qualified individuals ready for national leadership, but only when the time is right. “So for me, it is not the time (of the South-East). And when the time comes, we have sons and daughters that are eminently qualified (to contest for president),” he said.
He also took a jab at current proponents of Igbo presidency, stating, “There are people who are very eminently qualified and better than those who are clamouring for it now.”
Umahi pointed to past political marginalisation of the South-East as a factor that affected the region’s support for the APC in 2023. The APC polled only 5.85 percent of the total votes in the zone. “That was why it was very difficult for some governors like me to deliver the zone for the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.
He, however, praised President Tinubu’s leadership style, saying, “Right now, President Bola Tinubu does not want to know where you come from. He is treating everybody very nicely.”
Addressing complaints about underrepresentation in political appointments, Umahi argued that the quality of roles matters more than quantity. “The South-East might say they did not get a lot of appointments, but the position of the Minister of Works is equivalent to five grade A ministers,” he said.
He added that despite previous administrations offering the region multiple appointments, they failed to deliver concrete development. “The question is that there was a time we (South-East) had all sorts of appointments. Did it translate into infrastructure development? The answer is no.”
According to Umahi, Tinubu’s administration has started addressing long-standing infrastructural gaps in the South-East. Projects mentioned include the Enugu–Onitsha road, a 35-kilometre second access route in Anambra, and others like the Port Harcourt–Aba (86km), Aba–Umuahia (56km x2), Umuahia–Lokpanta (6km), and Lokpanta–Enugu (61km x2), totalling over ₦100 billion.
He further cited the Enugu dualisation to Abakaliki project (₦183 billion) and the Trans-Sahara road from Ebonyi to the Benue boundary (₦456 billion) as signs of serious federal commitment.
Despite funding challenges, Umahi assured that contractors have been mobilised and work is ongoing. “I can beat my chest about what Mr Tinubu has done for the South-East in the last two years,” he concluded.
