The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has said the 2027 general election is not the turn of the Igbo to produce the President of Nigeria.
Umahi stated this on Thursday,
September 24, 2026, at the flag-off of the Federal Ministry of Works’ formal
takeover of the temporary rehabilitation of the Benin-Asaba Highway in Benin
City.
Umahi was apparently reacting to a statement allegedly
credited to the former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of
the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Peter Obi, that the minister “is not his
match.”
The former Governor of Ebonyi State, who defended the
administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against growing criticism, said
“it’s not the turn of the Igbos yet” to produce Nigeria’s president.
According to him, when Obi said that he was not Umahi’s
match, it took him 10 minutes to think about the statement.
“Does Peter Obi have a stronger family background,
intellectual credentials or record of service to the South-East?
“Is it what we have done for the people of the South-East?
Is it what we did when we were governors? So, when you say he’s not my match,
put it side by side and tell me which area Peter Obi is better than me.
“What we are saying is that it’s not the turn of the Igbos
yet. The South-East would eventually have its opportunity to produce the
president, but the current political moment belongs to Tinubu.
“I want to be president, but it’s not yet our turn. It’s the
turn of President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
While rejecting what he described as attempts to portray the
Tinubu administration negatively, the minister argued that the Federal
Government’s infrastructure projects were benefiting communities across the
country.
The minister, who stated that political opportunities would
eventually come for the South-East, added that “when it is our turn, at the
time of God, He makes all things beautiful.”
He further urged supporters of the Tinubu administration to
defend the President’s achievements in the South-South, South-East and other
parts of the country.
“We are saying that the President has done very well. In
South-South, in South-East and in the entire geopolitical zone, he deserves
continuity, he deserves support,” the minister added.
Also speaking, the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo,
alleged that those who fought against former President Goodluck Jonathan in
2015 were also ganging up against President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027
general election.
Okpebholo, who said there was no vacancy in Aso Rock, opined
that “you don’t change a working president.”
“People that want to contest now against Tinubu have all
ruled in one way or the other, either in low capacity or in higher capacity.
“While they were there, they fought former President
Goodluck Jonathan because he wanted to build Almajiri schools to educate youths
and Almajiri so that there would be no problem like what we are having today.
“But they fought him and made sure he lost the election. The
same set of people are still ganging up again to fight President Tinubu so that
he would not come back. There is no vacancy in Aso Rock. Asiwaju’s eight years
must be complete,” he added.
Okpebholo, who did not mention the names of those he alleged
were ganging up against Tinubu, however, advised them not to waste their money
in the name of contesting the election, saying politicians would only collect
their money and would not vote for them.
“Our President is not a supermarket man, but supermarket
people want to rule Nigeria now, even when there is no vacancy in Aso Rock.
“Let them wait. When it is the turn of supermarket people,
and if there is no technocrat, they can contest for president.
“If others had performed and done what Asiwaju is doing
today, he wouldn’t have much work to do,” he said.
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