Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged the South-East region to exercise patience until 2031, saying it is not yet the region’s turn to produce Nigeria’s next president.
Umahi made the statement in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja, emphasizing the need for political fairness and continuity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“No, it is not our time; it is not the time of the South-East yet,” Umahi said. “We, the 17 Southern governors, met in Asaba before the 2023 elections and agreed that regardless of political party, the next president should come from the South. The crown came upon President Bola Tinubu. He is from the South, so it is wrong for the South-East to now say it is their turn.”
According to him, President Tinubu must be allowed to complete his two-term tenure, which represents the entire southern region. “He has to finish the eight years. The eight years he took is for all of us, both the South and the North. When he finishes in 2031, then the South-East can vie, having never tasted the position before,” he added.
The former Ebonyi State governor also noted that there are individuals “eminently qualified and better” than those currently clamouring for the position, while acknowledging that the South-East had faced marginalisation in the past.
Umahi said this history of exclusion made it difficult for some governors, including himself, to deliver the zone to the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2023 general elections.