Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the South-East will eventually produce Nigeria’s president but maintained that the time has not yet come.
Umahi made the comment on Thursday in Benin City during the “Operation Rescue Benin-Asaba Road” event, where he also defended his support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding to comments comparing him with the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, Umahi said such assessments should be based on their backgrounds, intellectual capacity, records of service and contributions to the South-East.
“And when that guy says that Peter Obi is not my match, it took me ten minutes to think about it; is it in my larger family background that his is better than my own? Is it in intellectual capacity? Is it in what we have done for the people of South-East? Is it what we did when we were governors?” he said.
The former Ebonyi State governor also described Obi as “a lucky person” while responding to criticisms surrounding the former Anambra governor’s public profile and political support.
On the 2027 presidency, Umahi rejected claims that the South-East would never produce Nigeria’s president, but said the region’s time had not arrived.
“What we are saying is that it is not the turn of Igbos yet… we will one day become president but it is not yet our turn, it is the turn of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Umahi also defended members of the Tinubu administration for responding to criticisms of the President’s government, saying they would not remain silent while supporting his administration.
The minister was also at the event to discuss the rehabilitation of the Benin-Asaba dual carriageway, announcing that the Federal Government would redesign the 136-kilometre road with reinforced concrete pavement.
