Minister of Works Dave Umahi is unapologetic in reminding his Igbo kinsmen about their ratings among voting blocs in Nigeria. Ultimately, he urged the S’East voters to support President Bola Tinubu in 2027 in their own interests and as a token of appreciation.
Umahi made the call while highlighting series of ongoing projects in the region. According to him, his continued loyalty to the president is born out of genuine interest and he doesn’t give a damn what anyone may like to think about that.
“If you are insulting me, it’s not my business because, you know, you can’t face me face to face and insult me”, Umahi said, added that “you can only do that at my back. You know. So it makes me happy that I’m taking your sleep. It makes me happy that I’m taking your attention. But the truth remains the truth”.
Dave Umahi is an ardent supporter of President Bola Tinubu and a committed member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). For long he has been urging the people of South East to embrace the party. But in his recent remarks, he simply upped the tempo, calling his people to shun emotions and work with the reality on ground.
In 2023 Bola Tinubu defiled all odds and win the presidency – from a private life. In 2027 he would be seeking second term as a sitting president, with all the unimaginable power of incumbency and too much money. No one is good but the chance of Tinubu’s reelection is almost 100 percent, and Dave Umahi knows it.
For the President not to abandon the ongoing projects in S’East after 2027, the Igbo must vote for him during the election.
“If you are insulting us, insulting the president, it doesn’t stop him from winning. He will still win. But we are asking a lot of our people to vote.”
The former governor of Ebonyi State also hinted the president might discontinue his initiatives in S’East if the zone didn’t back his reelection bid.
“Vote for President Bola Tinubu in 2027 so that these dividends of democracy will continue even in an improved form,” he added.
As of July 2026, S’East has a total of 10.6 million registered voters, according to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Kano State alone – a possible place for APC to carry in 2027 – has approximately 5.6 million registered voters while Lagos – Tinubu’s home state registered over 7 million people.