David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, said he has told his friend and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, that he would not win the 2027 election, insisting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) are working together to deliver President Bola Tinubu in Anambra State.
Umahi, who spoke in Anambra, yesterday, while inspecting the Obosi-Ogbunike-Ogidi interchange road linking the Second Niger Bridge, said the two parties were collaborating as progressive forces to ensure Tinubu’s victory in the state.
He declared that Anambra remained a strong base for Tinubu, arguing that the outcome of the 2025 governorship election, in which he said progressive forces secured all the votes, demonstrated the growing political cooperation between APC and APGA in the state.
“For those of you who go on social media and insult me, I want to tell you that Peter Obi is my friend and I used to tell him he cannot win,” Umahi said.
He added, “All our South-east votes cannot make our brother president. I will keep telling you the truth and you know that it gives me happiness to know that I say things that occupy your thoughts, and it makes me happy to know that you are hearing my message.”
Umahi, who urged voters in the South-east to support Tinubu’s administration, said the region could not produce the president solely with its votes and appealed to the people to support the ruling party in the 2027 election.
“Let me use this opportunity to tell you that Tinubu is going to win in 2027. Anambra is a very strong base for Mr. President and the progressives are working together here. In the last off-cycle election here, progressives took all the votes,” he said.
The minister’s position echoes Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s earlier description of APC and APGA as progressive parties working together in Anambra.
Soludo had coined the phrase, “progressives are working together,” during the build-up to his 2025 re-election bid, following Tinubu’s visit to the state to inaugurate projects executed by the state government.
Umahi, who described Anambra as a stronghold of Tinubu, also rejected claims that the South-east had been marginalised by the federal government.
He argued that the Tinubu administration had been friendly to the Igbo and deserved the support of the people, insisting that previous administrations had done less for the region.
“My people used to talk to me about what they read on social media about me, but I don’t go to social media. I’m surprised that at every small turn, our people take it to social media and say Igbo are being marginalised. Where were such people in the previous administrations where Igbo were truly marginalised?” he asked.
“I urge our people to come out on election day and vote for APC. Don’t go and be playing football on election day and expect that you will be appreciated for not voting,” he said.
He added that Tinubu would win the election regardless of opposition to his prediction.
“Don’t waste your support because if you do, Tinubu will still win. If you say Christ is not the Lord, it doesn’t make Him less the Lord. Tinubu will win and even if you dispute it, he will still win,” Umahi said.
During the inspection of the road project, the minister directed contractors handling the Obosi-Ogbunike-Ogidi interchange to accelerate work and ensure timely delivery.
He also directed engineers working with the ministry across the country to ensure that contractors adhere strictly to approved specifications and construction standards.
The Acting Controller of Works in Anambra State, Engr. Timothy Emenike, commended Umahi for his proactive approach and regular inspection of road and infrastructure projects across the country to ensure that contractors meet agreed specifications and standards.