Umahi says South-East has no 2027 presidential candidate, backs Tinubu

Works Minister David Umahi has said the South-East has no presidential candidate for the 2027 election, only aspirants, and asked the region to back President Bola Tinubu's re-election instead.

He spoke on Sunday at a town hall in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, organised by the Directorate of Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

According to Channels TV and Daily Post, Umahi said the zone should stop deceiving itself about 2027. He argued that no South-East politician has the kind of backing that would make the region's case for the presidency stick.

Umahi questions Obi's standing

The minister took aim at Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), asking whether Obi was better than other South-East figures.

He named former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former Education Minister Sam Egwu, former Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission chairman Elias Mbam, and himself.

"Who is Peter Obi better than?"

He also complained that anyone who does not support Obi is called a saboteur and insulted.

Umahi said the region should build alliances with other zones rather than rely on emotion. Supporting Tinubu for a second term, he argued, would put the South-East in a stronger position when the presidency eventually rotates to the zone.

He said an Igbo president would need more than four years to deliver, and that the North would not accept a single term.

On integration, Umahi said the South-East now holds more key federal posts than before, pointing to the Chief of Air Staff, the Works Ministry, other ministers and senior special assistants.

He also said goods now clear with ease and roads are being repaired to boost business.

Calls for CAN and traditional rulers to take sides

Umahi urged the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and traditional rulers not to stay neutral. He recalled that CAN took a stand when he was fighting to become governor, and said religious leaders should do the same now.

He said leaders in the North and South-West do not sit on the fence during elections.

On Ebonyi, Umahi described parties hoping to unseat Governor Francis Nwifuru as jokers. He said the state has 1.8 million registered voters and challenged it to deliver at least 1.3 million votes for Tinubu and Nwifuru.

For ordinary Nigerians, the remarks signal how the 2027 campaign is already taking shape in the South-East, with the ruling party pushing for a united front while opposition figures in the zone face public criticism from within the region.

What happens next

Party primaries and candidate lists will decide whether the South-East fields a serious presidential contender or rallies behind Tinubu.