Former Governor of Ebonyi State and current Minister of Works, David Umahi, has come under heavy criticism for his recent comment that it is not yet the turn of the Igbo to produce the president of Nigeria.

Umahi’s critics are not just angry that he said it is not yet the turn of the Igbo, but for saying it is President Bola Tinubu’s turn.

Those opposed to his statememt are of the view that the presidency rotates between the North and the South geopolitical zones of the country, and not among individuals.

Umahi, in a bid to hit back at former Anambra State governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for daring to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, declared that “it’s not the turn of the Igbo yet to produce Nigeria’s president.”

He made the remarks in Benin on Thursday while speaking about the Federal Government’s ongoing road interventions and defending Tinubu’s administration against mounting criticism.

Taking a swipe at Obi, the minister said he was prompted to examine the former Anambra governor’s record after hearing that he was not Obi’s match.

He said: “When that guy said that Peter Obi is not my match, it took me 10 minutes to think about it.”

He questioned the criteria for such a statement, wondering whether Obi had a stronger family background, intellectual credentials or record of service to the South-East.

“Is it about what we have done for the people of the South-East? Is it about what we did when we were governors? So, when you say he’s not my match, put it side by side and tell me in what way Obi is better than me,” he said.

The minister also rejected what he described as attempts to portray the Tinubu administration negatively, arguing that the Federal Government’s infrastructure projects were benefiting communities across the country.

He then turned to the question of the South-East’s long-standing aspiration to produce Nigeria’s president, saying, “What we are saying is that it’s not the turn of the Igbo yet.”

He stressed that the South-East would eventually have its opportunity to produce the president, but the current political moment belongs to Tinubu.

“I want to be president, but it’s not yet our turn. It’s the turn of President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

The minister added that political opportunities would eventually come for the South-East, saying, “When it is our turn, at the time of God, He makes all things beautiful.”

He further urged supporters of the Tinubu administration to defend what he described as the president’s achievements in the South-South, South-East and other parts of 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,” the minister said.

However, netizens have not spared Umahi over the statement, as they have continued to lampoon him.

There are those who believe that Umahi was not being sincere with himself but was only trying to please his master and find favour in his sight.

One of the leading voices on this side of the divide is a public affairs analyst, Adedayo Oluwatosin.

He described Umahi as a man who is doing everything possible to be in Tinubu’s good books, even if that affects his people.

“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. He is scheming to position himself, maybe, for the position of vice president in 2031.

“Otherwise, how can anybody say it is not the Igbo’s turn yet? Power rotates between the North and the South. When you talk about the South, Obasanjo (South-West) has been president for eight years, and Goodluck Jonathan (South-South) has been president for five years.

“It is only the Igbo (South-East) that has not produced a president. That was why most Nigerians voted for Obi in 2023, apart from the fact that he was the best candidate then.

“Today, he still remains the best candidate in terms of integrity, capacity and competence. And he still remains the candidate from the zone that has not produced the president of this country since 1999, when this Fourth Republic began. So, when Umahi said it is not the turn of the Igbo yet, one may want to ask him when it will be the Igbo’s turn.

“Is it when power moves back to the North in 2031? So, that statement is full of deceit and jealousy,” he stated.

He also tackled Umahi in his contest about not being Obi’s match, saying, “Did Umahi think that he is Obi’s match? Does he need anybody to tell him that they are poles apart? In 1996, Obi bought a property worth one million pounds in the United Kingdom, three years before Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 and almost 10 years before he ventured into politics as Anambra State governor.

“Where was Umahi in 1996? Obi became wealthy through his personal sweat. Umahi became wealthy through politics. If not for politics, can he be in the same gathering with Obi? So, there is no comparison between the two, actually.”

There are others who believe that Umahi, just like the Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, is fighting for stomach infrastructure, and that he is also driven by jealousy.

One of those pushing this narrative is a Lagos businessman, Chidozie Okafor.

He argued that Umahi and his co-travellers are people who can’t survive outside politics and government patronage, so they would do everything possible to remain relevant and keep their jobs.

“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.

“Now, that window is still open till the next four years, and Nigerians are saying that this time, we must vote for Obi and ensure that we guard our votes so that nobody will steal it again, and somebody like Umahi is crying wolf.

“Umahi’s argument can only make sense to people like him; people who are envious of Obi’s rising profile. But there is nothing he can do because Nigerians have decided that on January 16, 2027, they will vote for Obi.

“Their decision is hinged on the fact that, first, it is the turn of the Igbo and, secondly, he is the most competent of all the candidates.

“So, leave Umahi to his own opinion; it is his right, but we all know where he is coming from, just that this time, such a trick will not work. It is too late in the day.

“Even the North has agreed that the Igbo should be given the opportunity since every other zone in Nigeria has tried its best and Nigeria is still not working.

“Let an Igbo man try and see if things can improve,” he said.

He also reacted to Umahi’s anger over somebody’s comparison of him and Obi.

He said: “As for whether Umahi is Obi’s match, that is not in contention. He is not Obi’s match at all. He wanted to know the criteria. I won’t say it here because some people may accuse me of committing libel, but the minister should just know that the difference between him and Obi is like darkness and light. He represents darkness while Obi represents light, and I am sure he knows that darkness is no match for light.”

Also reacting, a Lagos lawyer, Marcellus Onah, compared the attacks on Obi to the darkest part of the night, which is nearest to the dawn.

He said the attacks on Obi from different quarters are a testament to his growing popularity across Nigeria.

He stressed that Umahi’s opinion is infinitesimal and doesn’t hold any water because even the most vehement critics of a president of Igbo extraction, the North, have come to the realisation that it is the turn of the Igbo and have decided to support the cause.

“So, forget about Umahi and his co-conspirators. He doesn’t know that the train has left him. I pray that he will be alive to see Obi contest the 2027 presidential election, win and be sworn in.

“No amount of lies, character assassination, mudslinging or jealousy can change what God has ordained,” he said.

For James Okoye, it is unfortunate that while Nigerians from the North, South-South and even South-West are staking their lives for Obi, his own brothers from the South-East are the ones doing everything possible to pull him down.

“But I have a message for Umahi and his co-conspirators – Nigerians have found succour in Obi, and there is nothing he and his likes can do to stop that. Obi’s record is what is speaking for him.

“Here is a man whom all the anti-graft agencies have scrutinised from head to toe without anything to hold him down. No politician in Nigeria has such a record. That is the man Umahi is challenging those who said he is not his match to show him the reasons.

“Can Umahi honestly subject himself to the anti-graft agencies’ scrutiny of his tenure as Ebonyi governor? He can’t because if he does, a can of worms will be unravelled. That’s just his tenure as governor, not to talk of his tenure as deputy governor, state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or his current position as minister.

“So, he should just allow the sleeping dog to lie peacefully and let Nigerians continue to love Obi until he becomes president in 2027,” he stated.