Minister of Works, David Umahi, has ruled out the possibility of the South-East producing Nigeria’s president in 2027, urging people from the region to instead support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.

 

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Umahi clarified that while the South-East will eventually produce a president, 2027 is not the time. His remarks came in response to an online article titled “The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South-East Missing from the Map?”, which he described as misleading and politically motivated.

 

He dismissed the publication’s claim that the South-East is being excluded from infrastructure development, calling it an attempt to discredit the Tinubu administration. According to Umahi, such narratives are part of a larger political strategy to mislead the public and falsely position certain individuals as defenders of the region.

 

“I understand that politics is now in the air, and the chosen path by some persons is to deceive unsuspecting members of the public… while closing their eyes to the massive infrastructure development Mr. President is carrying out across the nation,” Umahi stated.

 

The former Governor of Ebonyi State added that he has instructed regional directors of the Ministry of Works to return to sites nationwide and compile records of both ongoing and new projects, emphasizing that President Tinubu’s development agenda is not influenced by regional voting patterns.

 

He further asserted that Tinubu is using equitable infrastructure distribution to foster unity and restore national hope, urging critics to acknowledge the visible progress being made.