Former Ebonyi State governor and current Minister of Works David Umahi said on Thursday in Benin that it is not yet the turn of the Igbo to produce Nigeria’s president, adding that it is President Bola Tinubu’s turn. The remarks, made while he was discussing the federal government’s road interventions and defending Tinubu’s administration, sparked a wave of criticism on social media and from political commentators.
Umahi said he was prompted to examine former Anambra State governor Peter Obi’s record after hearing that Obi was not his match. “When that guy said that Peter Obi is not my match, it took me 10 minutes to think about it,” he told reporters. He questioned the criteria for comparing the two men, asking whether Obi had a stronger family background, intellectual credentials or record of service to the South‑East.
He also defended Tinubu’s infrastructure projects, saying they benefit communities across the country. “We are saying that the president has done very well. In South‑South, in South‑East and in the entire geopolitical zone, he deserves continuity, he deserves support,” Umahi said. He added that the South‑East would eventually have its opportunity to produce a president, but that the current political moment belongs to Tinubu.
“I call what Umahi is doing selfishness. He is not happy that Obi is more popular than him. Didn’t you hear what he said? He said he would want to be president, but it is not the Igbo’s turn yet, rather Tinubu’s turn,” said public‑affairs analyst Adedayo Oluwatosin. “It is only the Igbo (South‑East) that has not produced a president. That was why most Nigerians voted for Obi in 2023.”
Lagos businessman Chidozie Okafor added that Umahi and his co‑travellers are driven by politics and patronage. “In Nigeria, there is nobody who doesn’t know that it is the turn of the Igbo to produce the next president in 2023. Obi presented himself for the job and Nigerians loved him and voted massively for him, but his mandate was stolen by the electoral umpire,” Okafor said. Netizens have continued to lampoon Umahi for his statement, questioning his sincerity and motives.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
