Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has declared that the South-East region must exercise patience in its aspiration to produce Nigeria’s president, insisting that the zone’s turn will only come after President Bola Tinubu completes his constitutionally permitted two terms in office.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Umahi made it clear that the South-East should not expect to take the presidency in 2027.
“No, it is not our time; it is not the time of South-East yet,” he said. “We, the 17 Southern governors, went to Asaba before 2023, and we agreed that regardless of political party, the next president should come from the South. All of us tried, but the crown came upon President Bola Tinubu. He is from the South, and so, it is wrong for the South-East to now say it is their turn.”
He stressed that Tinubu’s presidency represents the entire South and must be allowed to run its full course. “He has to finish the eight years. The eight years he took is for all of us, both the South and the North. So he has to finish, and when he has finished in 2031, the South-East can now vie, in the sense that they have never tasted the position before,” Umahi explained.
He added that the North-East would also be eligible to contest at that time, noting that both regions have yet to produce a president. “I believe strongly that when equity and fairness are established, equity and rotation will become a thing of joy,” he said.
While acknowledging that the South-East has experienced marginalisation in the past, Umahi urged the region to recognise the current political realities. “Yes, acknowledge the past, but let us also emphasise the realities of what is happening now,” he advised.
He admitted that the region’s historical grievances made it difficult for some governors, including himself, to deliver the zone for the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections. The APC secured only 5.85% of the total votes in the South-East.
“But right now, President Bola Tinubu does not want to know where you come from. He is treating everybody very nicely,” Umahi said. “The South-East might say they did not get a lot of appointments, but the position of the Minister of Works is equivalent to five grade A ministers.”
He argued that past appointments did not translate into meaningful development for the region. “There was a time we (South-East) had all sorts of appointments. Did it translate into infrastructure development? The answer is No,” he said.
Umahi highlighted several ongoing federal projects in the region as evidence of Tinubu’s commitment. “We are doing over ₦350 billion worth of projects from Enugu to Onitsha. MTN is handling ₦202 billion, and CBC is doing ₦150 billion,” he said.
He also cited the ₦174 billion second access road in Anambra State, and emergency repairs in Onitsha and Owerri, where roads were recently damaged. “We have sent people there that are mobilising to do the work; the president has awarded that project,” he confirmed.
Other major projects include:
– Port Harcourt–Aba Road (86km)
– Aba–Umuahia Road (56km x2)
– Umuahia–Lokpanta Road (6km)
– Lokpanta–Enugu Road (61km x2), totalling over ₦100 billion
– Enugu dualisation to Abakaliki (₦183 billion)
– Trans-Sahara Road from Ebonyi to Benue boundary (₦456 billion)
– Afigbo–Uturu–Okigwe corridor (₦193 billion via Dangote tax credits)
– Cross River–Ebonyi bridge projects within Afikpo and Aduferegbe axis
– Abakpa and Obinago flyovers
– Two failed bridges in Enugu damaged by 2023 floods
“We have no reason not to be grateful to the president,” Umahi said. “I do not know what else. And of course, we have the Chief of Naval Staff too.”
He concluded by urging the South-East to remain politically sensitive and strategic. “We should be clapping with our hands and legs for President Bola Tinubu. And the point remains that my appointment as Minister of Works is one appointment too many. This is because it is not just the appointment; it is what you have used it to do for the entire country.”
