Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, does not pose a threat to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, also expressed confidence that the APC could win all five states in the South-East at the 2027 polls.
He made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics on Sunday.
Umahi explains Obi’s 2023 performance
Obi won all five South-East states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo — during the 2023 presidential election.
However, Umahi attributed the performance partly to what he described as the marginalisation of the region under the administration of former President Muhammadu 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,” he said.
Umahi argued that the situation had changed under Tinubu, pointing to the appointment of people from the South-East to senior positions in the Federal Government.
“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,” he said.
‘Peter Obi is not a threat’
The minister also argued that the presence of other presidential candidates from the South-East could affect Obi’s chances in the 2027 election.
“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.”
Umahi, however, said his assessment should not be interpreted as an attempt to underestimate the former Anambra governor.
He expressed confidence that the Tinubu administration’s policies, appointments and treatment of the South-East would help the APC regain support across the region.
Umahi backs sixth South-East state
The minister also disclosed that efforts to create an additional state in the South-East were ongoing, describing the process as a “work in progress”.
The South-East currently has five states, the lowest number among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The agitation for a sixth state has continued, with Anioma in Delta State proposed as one of the options.
Umahi said the region was not seeking preferential treatment but wanted what he described as equitable treatment.
“The South-East is not asking for treatment better than others. We just want to be fairly treated, and I want to thank the National Assembly,” he said.
“We are talking about getting the sixth state in the South-East. It’s a work in progress. It’s also what we are telling our people because equity demands that we should have what other people have.”
He further cited the appointment of South-East indigenes to senior federal positions as evidence of what he described as the administration’s commitment to integrating the region.
“The president has fully integrated the South-East. Remember, we had the Naval Chief; now we have the Air Force Chief. The good intention is that the president has taken the entire nation as one united family,” Umahi added.