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2027: Obi Isn’t A Threat, Tinubu’ll Win All South East States – Umahi
The minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure re-election in 2027 and predicted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will win all five states in the Southeast.
Umahi stated this when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he said his confidence in Tinubu’s return was rooted in his belief that God brought the president into office at a difficult period in the country’s history.
According to the minister, Tinubu assumed office amid numerous challenges and obstacles but had continued to make difficult decisions aimed at addressing Nigeria’s economic problems.
“I have faith in God that the President will return because he came at a very challenging period. All manner of obstacles were thrown in his way, but power belongs to God,” Umahi said.
He said his close working relationship with Tinubu had also convinced him that the president had good intentions for the country.
“I have worked very closely with him. I have seen his good heart, I have seen his good intentions, and I’m telling you that the President has never asked me to give jobs to this or that person,” he said.
Umahi also expressed confidence that Tinubu would make significant gains in the Southeast during the 2027 presidential election, saying his faith suggested that the APC could win the five states in the region.
“I will not tell you whether we will win the five votes of the Southeast or not, but the President is going to harvest a lot of votes in the Southeast. My faith is telling me we will win the five states,” he said.
While dismissing the claim that the presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, could pose a threat to the ruling party in the South East, the minister urged Nigerians to move away from regional politics, arguing that such an approach would not benefit the country.
“We shouldn’t play regional politics because it doesn’t help us. As a region, we should be able to have a handshake across the Niger,” he added.
Umahi also defended Tinubu’s economic reforms, acknowledging that they had caused hardship, particularly for vulnerable Nigerians, but insisting that the measures were necessary to tackle the country’s economic difficulties.
He argued that the administration should be assessed by comparing the economic situation when Tinubu assumed office with the current situation, rather than judging the reforms solely by the immediate hardship they had caused.
The minister said the administration’s infrastructure programme was also part of its effort to establish the foundation for long-term economic growth.
He disclosed that Tinubu inherited 2,068 projects valued at about N13 trillion when he assumed office in 2023, adding that about 80 per cent of the projects being executed by his ministry were inherited from the previous administration.
Umahi said Tinubu had directed him not to abandon the inherited projects because many of them were located along major economic corridors.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Sokoto-Badagry Road, Trans-Sahara/Trans-Harada corridor and Akwanga-Jos Road among major road projects being pursued by the administration.
On the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, Umahi rejected allegations of wrongdoing and said he was prepared to take responsibility for the procurement process.
He said the first 47.47-kilometre section had been completed, while work on the second section was nearing completion.
According to him, the legacy projects were being financed through an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Financing arrangement, with the Federal Government providing 30 per cent and 70 per cent sourced through external financing.
Umahi said Deutsche Bank provided financing for Section One of the coastal highway, adding that the facility was oversubscribed by $100 million.
The minister had earlier expressed confidence that four major legacy road projects would be completed within the next three years “by God’s special grace.”
Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has received the All Progressives Congress, APC, flag as its governorship candidate for Benue State ahead of the 2027 election during the Tinubu/Shettima rally in Jos over the weekend.
The presentation of the flag by the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, represents a formal affirmation of Governor Alia's recognition and acceptance by the party as its standard-bearer in Benue State for the forthcoming governorship election, as well as an expression of the party's confidence and institutional backing for his second-term bid.
The presentation formed part of the rally's activities, during which APC governorship candidates from across the North-Central region received their respective party flags, reaffirming the party's commitment to its candidates as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.
The rally, held at the Zaria Road Stadium, attracted prominent national and regional political leaders, including First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, APC governors, members of the party's National Working Committee and other stakeholders.
President Tinubu, who led the national delegation to the rally, reiterated his administration's commitment to national development, particularly the restoration of peace and security in communities affected by violence.
He assured the people of Plateau State of the Federal Government's commitment to rebuilding communities affected by insurgency and facilitating the safe return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes.
The Vice-President, Senator Kashim Shettima, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio also addressed the gathering, highlighting the administration's development initiatives and calling for support for the APC in the forthcoming elections.
The rally attracted party faithful, supporters, and political stakeholders from across the North-Central region, providing a platform for the party's leadership to reaffirm its commitment to the 2027 electoral process.
Edo State Commissioner for Information, Kassim Afegbua, has criticised the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC, Omoyele Sowore, describing him as a “public nuisance” and questioning his capacity to build a nationwide political structure.
Afegbua made the remarks during an interview on Arise News while reacting to Sowore’s criticism of President Bola Tinubu following the booing of the President by some youths in Abuja on Friday, November 13, 2026.
Sowore had accused Tinubu of hypocrisy, questioning why the President was now advocating peaceful political campaigns after experiencing hostility during his visit to the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, Garki, Abuja.
The incident occurred shortly after Tinubu attended Juma’at prayers at the mosque, where some youths were heard chanting “Ba ma yi, ba ma so”, a Hausa expression meaning “We don't want you” or “We don't support you”, as his convoy departed.
In a reaction posted on his X account, Sowore questioned the President's silence over alleged attacks on opposition politicians and their supporters across the country.
However, Afegbua dismissed Sowore's comments, arguing that someone aspiring to lead the country should demonstrate maturity, responsibility and decorum in public engagements.
“I don't want to listen to all of Sowore's rants because I see him more as a public nuisance,” the commissioner said.
He added that presidential candidates must understand the responsibility associated with seeking to lead a country of more than 250 million people.
“Leadership is a serious responsibility, and you cannot go around making flippant, ridiculous and reckless statements in the name of presenting yourself as a presidential candidate,” Afegbua stated.
He maintained that political ambition should be accompanied by a reasonable level of discipline, insisting that candidates must conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the position they seek to occupy.
The Edo commissioner also questioned Sowore's political reach, describing him as someone who fills a gap in Nigeria's political aspirations rather than a candidate with the organisational capacity to compete effectively nationwide.
According to Afegbua, establishing a functional political structure across all 774 local government areas would be a major challenge for the AAC presidential candidate.
He, however, acknowledged that politicians like Sowore play a role in expressing public frustration and providing an avenue for citizens to communicate their opinions.
Afegbua also defended Tinubu's call for adequate security for presidential candidates, arguing that the President's statement after the Abuja incident was consistent with an earlier directive to security agencies.
He said Tinubu had, two or three weeks before the mosque incident, instructed the Department of State Services, DSS, and other security agencies to ensure that all presidential candidates received adequate protection.
According to him, the President's latest remarks should therefore not be interpreted as a reaction prompted solely by the hostility he experienced in Abuja.
Afegbua further argued that Tinubu's political background gave him considerable experience in political struggles, noting that the President had faced difficult circumstances during his years in opposition.
He nevertheless stressed that occupying the presidency requires a broader sense of responsibility beyond party interests.
“President Tinubu is not just a member of the party. He's also the leader of the entire country,” he said, adding that the President has demonstrated that every Nigerian belongs, irrespective of political affiliation.
2027: Afegbua attacks Sowore over reaction to attack on Tinubu in Abuja mosque
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