By Odita Sunday
Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said he will continue to campaign for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the South-East ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging voters in the region to consider the Tinubu administration’s record before deciding who to support.
Umahi made the remarks in Abuja on Tuesday while responding to presentations by members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) during their inspection of Federal Government infrastructure projects in the North-West. NANS has been conducting a nationwide tour of federal road projects, including routes serving tertiary institutions.
The minister specifically urged people of the South-East not to support Peter Obi, who was the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, in the 2027 poll.
“I will continue to tell Igbos not to vote for Peter Obi, but to vote for President Bola Tinubu. That it is a right decision to make,” Umahi said.
He, however, stressed that supporting Tinubu was a political choice and appealed for people who hold such views not to be attacked or insulted because of their political preference.
Umahi also challenged political leaders seeking the support of voters in the South-East to present their records and achievements for the people to assess.
“Let people come and say, this is what we have done for the people of South-East. Let us put this side by side. We want to be President. Let us know what we have done for the people of South-East,” he said.
The minister said the Tinubu administration had recorded progress in areas affecting the region, particularly infrastructure development and political appointments.
He urged Igbo leaders to take information about Federal Government projects and programmes to communities across the region and explain what they consider to be the benefits of the administration.
Umahi has previously cited ongoing federal infrastructure projects in the South-East as evidence of what he describes as greater federal investment in the region under Tinubu. In June, during an inspection of projects in Ebonyi State, he highlighted the Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-Abuja corridor and other projects as part of the administration’s infrastructure programme.
The minister’s latest comments came amid NANS’ nationwide inspection of federal road projects, an exercise the student body says is aimed at assessing the condition and progress of roads serving students and tertiary institutions.
Umahi called for political debate to focus on what competing political leaders and parties have done and what they intend to offer Nigerians, rather than attacks on people for their political preferences.
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