Ola Ameen
Abuja
Following remarks by Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe that President Bola Tinubu will lose in the 2027 presidential election,
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi while briefing press Wednesday in Abuja said that notion was not factual owing to the performance of the president in nation building.
Engr. Umahi who dismissed Senator Abaribe’s claims as figment of his imagination said Nigerians iincluding the South East will vote massively for President Bola Tinubu, who according to him has recorded tremendous achievements across the country.
Senator Abaribe, while speaking on Monday on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, criticized the administrative style of President Tinubu, noting that politicians and supporters of the President cannot openly declare their support for the President in their hometowns and communities because of fear of backlash.
He said, “public anger over hardship, economic challenges and insecurity under President Tinubu’s administration has made it difficult for his supporters to openly identify with him in their villages.
“I come from Aba in Abia State, and I was discussing this particular thing that oh, APC has this government, and people were a little worried,” Abaribe said.
Umai as always in defence of President’a Tinubu’s record of performance, said the president has done well even in the South East geo-political zone.
Umahi who said the South Eastern part of Nigeria has suffered neglect from past administrations and now enjoys dividends of democracy and good governance from President Tinubu's administration also dismissed claims by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who represents Abia South in the National Assembly, that the South East has no reason to support Tinubu come 2027.
He said, "I am not speaking as a politician, I am speaking as a Minister who is directly involved in implementation and who knows what is happening on ground. If we did not have the audacity and courage to bring this moment to the sub nationals, Governor Otti would not be doing what he is doing.”
Sighting the Abia as an example, Umahi argued that the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, who is an opposition party governor, acknowledged the enabling environment provided by the Federal government to assist him perform.
He listed some ongoing road projects in the zone adding that, “All of the South East governments are supporting the president, because the president has provided inclusive governance in the country.”
Umahi while urging South East citizens to reject narratives of exclusion and embrace national unity, equally referred to the appointment of a South Easterner as Chief of Naval Staff and the establishment of an army depot in Abia State by the Tinubu administration as evidence of inclusiveness.
The Works minister who also defended the administration’s economic reforms, cited improvements in currency stability, inflation moderation and enhanced security operations amongst achievements of president Tinubu's administration.
Umahi reminded Senator Abaribe that it was under President Tinubu that the Enyimba City power plant, became functional.
He added that Abaribe’s comments about the procurement process of the Lagos-Calabar-Coastal Highway was a direct attack his *my personality and integrity which needs to be withdrawn after the clarification.
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