Umahi tells Ebonyi religious, traditional leaders to back Tinubu in 2027
- Works Minister David Umahi urged CAN and traditional rulers in Ebonyi to openly support Tinubu and Governor Nwifuru.
- He spoke at an APC town hall in Abakaliki and said there is no South-East presidential candidate in 2027.
- Umahi said Ebonyi should deliver 1.3 million of its 1.8 million registered votes to the APC.
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has asked religious and traditional leaders in Ebonyi State to openly back President Bola Tinubu and Governor Francis Nwifuru ahead of the 2027 general election.
He spoke on Sunday in Abakaliki at a town hall meeting organised by the Directorate of Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council.
Umahi told the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and traditional rulers not to sit on the fence, saying leaders in other parts of the country do not. He recalled that CAN took a stand when he was fighting to become governor, and urged the body to guide its people again.
No South-East candidate, says minister
The minister said the South-East has no presidential candidate in 2027. He dismissed the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Peter Obi, as "nobody", and said Obi is not better than prominent Ebonyi figures, including himself, former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, former Education Minister Sam Egwu and former RMAFC chairman Elias Mbam.
Umahi argued that the region should support Tinubu's remaining four years so that the South-East can lay a stronger claim to the presidency when its turn comes. He said an Igbo presidency should be pursued with wisdom rather than sentiment.
He pointed to what he called the region's integration, citing the appointment of a Chief of Air Staff, a Minister of Works and other officials, and said Igbo traders now clear their goods with ease.
On the state race, Umahi said Ebonyi has 1.8 million registered voters and should give 1.3 million votes to Tinubu and Nwifuru. He described anyone hoping to take the governorship from Nwifuru as a joker.
The comments put a senior federal minister firmly behind the president's re-election bid and show how the APC is courting religious and traditional leaders early. For ordinary Ebonyi residents, the meeting signals that 2027 campaigning is already under way in the South-East.
