The minister of works, David Umahi, says President Bola Tinubu will secure victory in all five states in the South-East during the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi made the statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he also appealed to people in the region to move away from regional politics.
“The president is going to harvest a lot of votes in the south-east,” he said.
“My faith is telling me we will win the five states. I’m working for it. I’m explaining to our people.
“We shouldn’t play regional politics. It doesn’t help us. As a region, we should be able to, you know, have a handshake across the nation.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) currently governs Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi states, while the Labour Party (LP) controls Abia and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governs Anambra.
‘BUHARI ADMINISTRATION DID NOT FAVOUR SOUTH-EAST’
Umahi also criticised the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the South-East was largely left out of important federal appointments during his tenure.
“Service chiefs, we got none. Major ministerial portfolio, we got none. And so the marginalisation continued and even increased at that point,” he said.
“But now, the story is totally different. I’m a minister of works. We never had a minister of works before. We have a minister of foreign affairs.
“We have a minister of science and industry. We are very happy with the appointments we’ve gotten. We are very happy.”
The minister said Tinubu’s administration had brought greater representation for the South-East in the federal government, adding that the president regarded Nigeria as one united family.
According to Umahi, the region was not demanding special treatment but wanted fairness in the allocation of government appointments and resources.
“We just want to be fairly treated. And I want to thank the national assembly. We are talking about getting the sixth state in the south-east. It’s a work in progress,” he said.
“It’s also what we are telling our people, you know, because equity demands that we should have what other people have.
“But in terms of infrastructure, I told you that as governor for eight years, there was no federal government route or bridge that came to the south-east. But look at the legacy project of the president.”