Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said that the South-East should exercise patience over its demand for Nigeria’s presidency, stating that it is not yet the region’s turn to produce the next leader.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Umahi maintained that the principle of fairness and continuity required that President Bola Tinubu be allowed to complete two terms in office.
‘No, it is not our time; it is not the time of the Southeast yet. We, the 17 Southern governors, went to Asaba before 2023 and said, it doesn’t matter the political party, but the next president should come from the South’, Umahi said.
‘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 come and say, oh, it is their turn’.
He added, ‘He has to finish the eight years. The eight years he took are 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 said that while the region had experienced marginalisation in the past, it should acknowledge the current administration’s investments in infrastructure across the zone.
‘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 said.
He cited ongoing projects across the region, including the Enugu–Onitsha, Port Harcourt–Aba, Aba–Umuahia, and Umuahia–Lokpanta roads, among others, which he said were evidence of the Tinubu administration’s commitment to balanced development.
According to him, the President’s efforts demonstrate inclusiveness and a departure from the perceived neglect of the region in previous years.
‘President Bola Tinubu does not want to know where you come from. He is treating everybody very nicely’, Umahi said.
He urged South-East politicians to recognise the political realities and remain supportive of the government.
‘Yes, acknowledge the past, but let us also emphasise the realities of what is happening now’, he stated.
Umahi expressed confidence that the region’s turn would come after Tinubu’s tenure, saying, ‘When the time comes, we have sons and daughters that are eminently qualified to contest for president.
