UMAHI SAYS IT’S NOT YET SOUTHEAST’S TURN TO PRODUCE NIGERIA’S PRESIDENT
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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the South-East zone must exercise patience in its quest to produce Nigeria’s next president, declaring that it is not yet the region’s turn to lead the country.
Umahi made the remark during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday, stressing the need for political fairness and continuity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He noted that the region must support the administration of Bola Tinubu to complete its constitutionally allowed two terms.
“No, it is not our time; it is not the time of South-East yet. 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.
“All of us tried, but the crown came upon President Bola Tinubu. He is from the South, and so it is wrong for the South-East to come and say, Oh, it is their turn. No, he has to finish the eight years. The eight years he took are for all of us, both the South and the North. So, when he has finished in 2031, the South-East can now vie,” Umahi stated.
The minister argued that equity and fairness would be better served after Tinubu’s tenure, allowing both the South-East and North-East — regions that have not produced a president — to compete for the nation’s top seat.
While acknowledging past marginalisation of the region, Umahi praised Tinubu’s administration for ongoing infrastructural development in the South-East, citing massive investments in key road projects.
“Right now, President Bola Tinubu does not want to know where you come from. He is treating everybody very nicely. The Southeast 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 highlighted several projects currently underway, including the Enugu-Onitsha road (₦202 billion), CBC road (₦150 billion), Anambra second access road (₦174 billion), and the Port Harcourt-Aba, Aba-Umuahia, and Umuahia-Enugu dualisation projects valued at over ₦100 billion.
Other key projects mentioned include the Enugu-Abakaliki road (₦183 billion), the Trans-Sahara road linking Ebonyi and Benue (₦456 billion), as well as bridges and flyovers in Enugu, Afikpo, and Obinago.
“We have no reason not to be grateful to the president. I can beat my chest about what Tinubu has done for the South-East in the last two years. We should be clapping with our hands and legs for President Bola Tinubu,” Umahi said.
The minister urged the South-East to remain patient and strategic, adding that when the time comes, the region has “sons and daughters eminently qualified” to lead the country.
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