The Minister of Works Dave Umahi has said Peter Obi does not pose a threat to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Mr Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, said the APC could win all five South-east states in 2027, arguing that the Tinubu administration has addressed the marginalisation of the region under the previous administration.
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He spoke on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
Mr Obi, who contested the 2023 presidential election on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), won all five South-east states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
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But Mr Umahi said the outcome of that election was partly a reaction to the treatment of the region by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“I will not blame the South-east in the last election because, virtually, we were not fairly treated by the past administration. Service chiefs, we got none; major ministerial portfolios, we got none,” he said.
“And so, the marginalisation continued, and they even increased at that point. And so you will not totally blame them for that.”
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According to him, the situation has changed under Mr Tinubu, with South-east politicians now holding key positions in the federal government.
“But now, the story is totally different. I’m the Minister of Works; we have never had a Minister of Works before. We have a Minister of Foreign Affairs; we have a Minister of Science and Industry. We are very happy with the appointments we’ve got. They’re very happy. Now, we have done quite a lot,” he said.
‘Peter Obi is not a threat’
Mr Umahi said the presence of other presidential candidates from the South-east would also affect Mr Obi’s chances in 2027.
“By the way, it is not only Peter Obi that is from the South-east that is contesting. We have about three or four other presidential candidates who are contesting,” he said.
“We have the Labour Party and I think there are other two, even a woman is involved. So, Peter Obi is not a threat as far as I am concerned.”
Mr Umahi, however, said his assessment should not be interpreted as an attempt to underestimate the former Anambra governor.
He expressed confidence that the Tinubu administration’s record and its treatment of the South-east would help the APC regain support in the region.
Mr Obi has remained a major political figure in the South-east since the 2023 election, when he secured the region’s five states for the LP.
Sixth South-east state still possible
The minister also said efforts to create an additional state for the South-east were ongoing, describing the process as a “work in progress”.
The South-east currently has five states, the lowest number among Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. The agitation for a sixth state has gained renewed attention, with Anioma (the Igbo speaking part of Delta State) being proposed as one of the options.
Mr Umahi said the region was not demanding preferential treatment but wanted what he described as equitable treatment.
“The South-east is not asking for treatment better than others. We just want to be fairly treated, and I want to thank the National Assembly,” he said.
“We are talking about getting the sixth state in the South-east. It’s a work in progress. It’s also what we are telling our people because equity demands that we should have what other people have.”
He also cited the appointment of South-east indigenes to senior federal positions as evidence of what he described as the administration’s commitment to integrating the region.
“The president has fully integrated the South-east. Remember, we had the Naval Chief; now we have the Air Force Chief. The good intention is that the president has taken the entire nation as one united family,” he said.
The creation of an additional South-east state has been discussed at the National Assembly, with the Abia North Senator Orji Uzor Kalu previously advocating the creation of Anioma State from Delta North.
Mr Kalu had said during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today in March 2025 that Anioma was the viable option for the sixth South-east state.
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