“It’s Not Yet Our Turn,” Umahi Tells Southeast, Urges Support for Tinubu Over Obi
By: Oluwaseun Lawal
The message was blunt. No sugarcoating.
Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, says someone needs to tell Peter Obi plainly — this is not the Southeast’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president. Speaking during an inspection of the ongoing reconstruction of the 56-kilometre Aba axis of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Expressway, Umahi warned that political ambition must not put the region at risk.
Standing by the busy highway, with heavy equipment humming in the background, the minister argued that the Southeast has gained significantly under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. According to him, claims of marginalisation no longer holds water.
“Unless we are not telling ourselves the truth, there is no more marginalisation in the Southeast,” he said.
Umahi pointed to key federal appointments and infrastructure projects spread across the zone — including the Onitsha–Owerri and Enugu–Abakaliki corridors — as proof. He also noted that this is the first time the region has produced a Minister of Works, calling it a sign of inclusion and trust.
He went further. The 2027 general election, he suggested, should be a moment of political strategy, not sentiment. The Southeast, he said, needs to bond with other regions and reciprocate what he described as the president’s goodwill.
“We should tell our brother, Peter Obi, that it is not yet our turn,” Umahi stated. When the time comes, he added, Nigerians will know.
The minister also disclosed that the current administration inherited 2,068 ongoing projects valued at N13 trillion before the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira. To prevent work from stalling, he explained that some contractors have been moved to alternative funding arrangements, including Sukuk financing.
At the Obehie axis of the same expressway, handled by CCECC and indigenous firm JRB, Umahi praised local contractors for their performance. He announced a shift toward reinforced concrete pavement on parts of the corridor, saying the goal is durability — roads designed to last up to 50 years.
Politics on one side. Asphalt and concrete on the other.
For Umahi, the argument is simple: development first. Turn later.
