Temisan Olaifa
The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi has emphatically said that the South-East cannot produce a president in 2027.
He said the zone must support President Bola Tinubu to win re-election for a second term in 2027.
He stated these in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.
He said, “No, it is not our time; it is not the time of the South-East yet.
“We, the 17 Southern governors, went to Asaba before 2023, and we agreed that the next president should come from the South, regardless of political party.
“All of us tried, but the crown came upon President Bola Tinubu. He is from the South, and so, it is wrong for the South-East to come and say, Oh, it is their turn.
“He has to finish the eight years. The eight years he took are for all of us, both the South and the North.
“So, he has to finish, and when he has finished in 2031, the South-East can now vie, in the sense that they have never tasted the position before.”
According to him, “The North-East too can vie in the sense that they have not tasted the position before.
“I believe strongly that it is when equity and fairness have been established that equity and rotation will become a thing of joy.”
The former governor of Ebonyi State recalled that the South-East has faced historical political marginalisation, which contributed to the All Progressives Congress’s poor performance in the 2023 elections in the region, where the party secured just 5.85%of total votes.
“It was very difficult for some of us to deliver the zone for APC in 2023 because of the unfair treatment the South-East people had suffered in the past,” he admitted.
But now, he said that President Tinubu has been fair in his dealings since taking office.
“Right now, President Bola Tinubu does not want to know where you come from.
“He is treating everybody very nicely.
“The South-East might say they did not get a lot of appointments, but the position of the Minister of Works is equivalent to five grade A ministers.”
