Minister of Works, David Umahi, has described the Southeast’s support for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election as an “accident of history,” attributing the outcome to anger over years of perceived marginalisation of the region.
Umahi, however, expressed confidence that the Southeast would support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, arguing that the president’s policies, infrastructure projects and federal appointments have changed the political situation in the region.
The minister made the remarks during an interview with Arise News anchor, Ojy Okpe.
According to Umahi, the Southeast’s voting pattern in 2023 was largely influenced by dissatisfaction with how the region had been treated by previous administrations.
“In 2023, it was an accident of history. It was a demonstration of the anger of the people of South East on how they were treated,” he said.
Umahi acknowledged that the region had legitimate reasons to feel marginalised in the past, particularly regarding federal appointments and infrastructure development.
However, he maintained that the situation had changed under Tinubu’s administration.
“We’ve been marginalised in the past, but it’s no longer so,” the minister stated.
He argued that the federal government had demonstrated greater commitment to the development of the Southeast through ongoing road projects, infrastructure investments and appointments into federal positions.
Umahi said these efforts would influence the region’s political decisions ahead of the 2027 general election, predicting that voters would reward Tinubu for what he described as the president’s favourable treatment of the Southeast.
“If in 2023 they demonstrated their anger, in 2027 they are going to demonstrate their joy on how the President has treated them,” he said.
The former Ebonyi State governor further insisted that the Southeast would appreciate Tinubu’s contributions to the region when voters return to the polls.
He cited ongoing federal infrastructure projects as evidence that the administration was paying greater attention to the region’s development needs.
Umahi also claimed that the political situation in the Southeast had changed considerably since the 2023 election, pointing to what he described as growing support for Tinubu among serving and former governors, traditional rulers and other influential political figures.
According to him, the infrastructure projects being executed by the federal government would make voters more willing to support the president rather than risk changing direction politically.
The minister maintained that the 2027 election would be determined by the performance of Tinubu’s administration in the region, rather than the voting pattern recorded in 2023.
When asked whether he was confident that Tinubu would defeat Obi in the Southeast in 2027, Umahi expressed certainty about the president’s chances.
“Why do you say I believe?” he asked before declaring, “That is what is going to happen!”
Umahi concluded that the circumstances that influenced the Southeast’s support for Obi in 2023 had changed significantly, insisting that the region would make a different electoral choice in 2027.
His prediction comes as political parties and their candidates prepare for the 2027 presidential election, with the Southeast expected to remain an important battleground in the contest for national support.
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