Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Enugu State has criticized the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for allegedly giving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a false hope that the people of the South East zone will massively support his re-election.

The party made the criticism while reacting to a statement by Umahi that the South-East geo-political zone will rally 90 percent support for Tinubu’s victory in the presidential election, slated for February 20, 2027.

According to media reports, the former Governor of Ebonyi State made the statement on Saturday during a project inspection tour at the Alaoji axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway.

Umahi equally said during the occasion that it is not yet the South East’s turn to produce the President, warning that failing to support President Tinubu of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) would be detrimental to the region.

But in a press release on Monday signed by the National Coordinator of ADC Like-Minds, Comrade Adolphus Ude, on behalf of Enugu ADC Media Team, the party severely criticized Umahi for misleading the President, instead of telling him the truth.

Enugu ADC equally upbraided the Minister for claiming that President Tinubu has addressed the marginalisation of the South-East, while in actual fact, the exclusion of the region has been aggravated under the current administration.

The party challenged Umahi to go beyond making outrageous claims and quoting fabricated figures, to state in concrete terms what has changed in the South East between 2023 when Tinubu came to power and today, to sway Ndigbo to support his re-election in 2027.

Quoting the press release: “The attention of Enugu ADC has been drawn to a statement by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi that the South-East geo-political zone will rally 90 percent support for President Bola Tinubu’s victory in the February 20, 2027 presidential election. Among other unguarded utterances, Umahi also said it is not yet the turn of the South East to produce the President. He further warned that failing to support Tinubu would be detrimental to the region.

“Truly, we are neither surprised nor perturbed by Umahi’s utterances because we know that sycophancy is his stock in trade. The other day, he openly declared that in less than three years as a Minister, he amassed more than what he made in eight years as Governor. We do not begrudge him.

“In fact, we believe that it is probably out of excitement of the money he has made as a Minister that made him think that he can single-handedly mortgage 90 percent of South-East votes to his principal in 2027. If the President takes the advice of someone intoxicated by money too seriously, it is at his own detriment.

“With the recent realignment of the 2023 presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi and other notable Igbo political figures with ADC, the South-East has become a ‘no go area’ for APC. In 2027, the polls in the South-East will be dominated by the ADC, the same way that the Labour Party dominated in 2023.

“Umahi is giving Mr. President false hope that the South East zone will massively support his re-election. Tinubu will be living in a fool’s paradise if he takes the words of his Minister.”

Continuing, Enugu ADC recalled that in 2023, Tinubu lost woefully in all the five South East states, namely Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, scoring less than 10 percent of the total votes cast.

According to the party, even with all the bravado of Dave Umahi as the then-Governor of Ebonyi State, Tinubu could not get up to 13 percent of the votes in his state during the last presidential election.

It maintained that nothing has happened under the Tinubu administration to guarantee a turn of events for the ruling party in the South-East during the coming 2027 elections.

Enugu ADC insisted that the South-East owes President Tinubu nothing, having been grossly excluded by his administration in the allocation of federal infrastructure, intervention funds and appointments.

The party challenged Umahi to name the location of the two biggest legacy projects of the President in the South East, stressing that if truly the Tinubu government injected one trillion Naira into the region, then the money must have been misappropriated, as no traces of any development equating to such a humongous amount, exist in any part of the region.

It noted that no part of the South East was considered, even as a bypass for the controversial multi-trillion Naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal Lagos and the Sokoto-Badagry highway, adding that Igboland is the only region without a rail line.

All the projects going on in Enugu are abandoned projects from PDP down to APC. There is no visible new project in the South East. The long anticipated dredging of River Niger is not going on.

“The South East is the only region that has five Ministers in the Federal Executive Council, out of which three are junior Ministers. Ogun State alone has four Ministers. So, Igbos are even more marginalized in appointments now than before.

“Finally, Umahi cannot claim that he is not aware that the South East is the only region where its passport issuing machines have been deactivated, compelling Igbos who want to get travel passports to rely solely on Abuja,” the party stated.

Consequently, Enugu ADC cautioned Umahi to draw a line between his personal interests and the interest of Ndigbo in Nigeria, to forestall such reckless and embarrassing utterances from him in future.

Regarding the claim by the Minister that it is not yet the turn of the South East to produce the President and that failing to support the President would be detrimental to the region, the party accused him of insincerity.

“The same Umahi saying that it is not yet the turn of the South East to produce the President, contested for the APC presidential ticket in 2023 at Eagle Square. While other presidential aspirants like Godswill Akpabio, Abubakar Badaru, Ibikunle Amosun, Dimeji Bankole and Uju Ohanenye stepped down for Tinubu, he participated in the primary election until the end, but lost woefully. The rest is history.” (The Sun)