South-East Will Produce a President Someday — But Not in 2027, Says Umahi

Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has stated that Nigeria’s south-east region will eventually produce a president, but not in the upcoming 2027 general elections. Speaking in a statement issued on Monday, Umahi urged people from the south-east to back President Bola Tinubu’s bid for re-election, praising the administration’s commitment to infrastructure across all regions, including the south-east.

The minister was responding to a recent online publication titled *“The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South East Missing from the Map?”* which he described as “misleading and inaccurate.” Umahi accused the report of attempting to portray the Tinubu administration as neglecting the region. According to him, such narratives are politically motivated and designed to mislead the public.

“Politics is now in the air,” Umahi said, “and the chosen path by some persons is to deceive unsuspecting members of the public, look good before the people as one fighting for them, and close both eyes pretentiously over the great and selfless infrastructure development Mr President is doing all over the nation.”

Umahi noted that he has directed all regional directors of the Ministry of Works to return to construction sites across Nigeria to document both ongoing and inherited projects. This, he said, will help Nigerians appreciate the scope of Tinubu’s infrastructure agenda. He added that Tinubu is using “fair distribution of infrastructure to reunite Nigerians and renew their hope,” and that “only those who open their eyes will see the light of change in Nigeria.”

He called on the publisher of the report to issue a correction and an apology, asking rhetorically, “Where was the writer when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR decided to treat South East fairly in road infrastructure like other regions?” Umahi pointed out that under Tinubu, 90% of previously abandoned projects — some dating back to 2013 — have been revived and are currently ongoing.

He highlighted key projects in the south-east, including the ₦46 billion access road to the Second Niger Bridge in Delta State, and another ₦176 billion project in Anambra State. Umahi also listed the 208km Enugu–Onitsha road funded through the MTN tax credit scheme at ₦202 billion, with CBC handling the remaining section at ₦150 billion, of which ₦45 billion was released last week. Additional projects mentioned include the Enugu–Port Harcourt road (split into four sections), the Enugu–Abakaliki road, the Afikpo–Abia–Imo road, the Onitsha–Owerri–Aba road, the Aba–Ikot Ekpene road, and the Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene road.

On the issue of future presidential aspirations, Umahi urged the Igbo community to support Tinubu for a full two terms, saying the president has shown “unwavering love and fairness” to the south-east. He stressed the need to move away from what he described as “the politics of hate, misinformation, and sentiments.”

“We must not be deceived again. Mr President must have the votes of the South East up to 90% to cement this relationship,” Umahi said. “If we want to be president, we must support other regions, and with God, one day, other regions will support us. Mr President must be supported to complete his tenure of eight years, which all regions are benefitting from.”

He concluded by reiterating that while the south-east will eventually produce a president, “it will not be in 2027.” Umahi also praised governors from the region for their development efforts and called for continued support for Tinubu’s leadership.