Umahi dismisses Peter Obi comparison, says ‘not yet Igbo turn’ for presidency
Umahi dismisses Peter Obi comparison, says ‘not yet Igbo turn’ for presidency
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has challenged comparisons between him and the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, saying he sees no area in which the former Anambra State governor is superior to him.
Umahi spoke on Thursday in Benin City at the ‘Operation Rescue Benin-Asaba Road’ event, where he also said the South-East would eventually produce Nigeria’s president but maintained that “it is not yet our turn.”
Reacting to comments that Obi was not his “match”, Umahi said such a comparison should consider their family backgrounds, intellectual capacity, records of service and contributions to the South-East.
He said, “And when that guy says that Peter Obi is not my match, it took me ten minutes to think about it; is it in my larger family background that his is better than my own? Is it in intellectual capacity? Is it in what we have done for the people of South-East? Is it what we did when we were governors?”
Umahi also defended his support for President Bola Tinubu, saying members of the administration would not remain silent when the President and his government were criticised.
“If you are challenging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the president is working and is using us to work and you expect us to keep quiet, we are not keeping quiet,” he said.
The minister also described Obi as “a lucky person” while responding to comments about criticism of the former Anambra governor.
He said, “I don’t think any reasonable person will insult Peter Obi, but I want to say that Peter Obi is a lucky person because when you tell people to go and verify and they verify and there is nothing they see. Some people are still talking and talking.”
On the 2027 presidency, Umahi rejected the suggestion that the Igbo would never produce Nigeria’s president but said he believed the time had not yet come.
“What we are saying is that it is not the turn of Igbos yet. I heard in today’s this thing one charlatan that was saying ‘oh no, the Igbos can never be president’. That can will not be alive when the Igbos become president because we will one day become president but it is not yet our turn, it is the turn of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.
Umahi also announced that the Federal Government would redesign the 136-kilometre Benin-Asaba dual carriageway with reinforced concrete pavement.
He said the decision followed the failure of three options proposed to the road concessionaire for the continuation of the agreement.
According to him, the government has begun temporary intervention on the road while plans for the longer-term reconstruction are developed.
The minister also clarified that the emergency rehabilitation had not been awarded to Hitech or any other contractor.
He said the Ministry of Works had instead hired equipment belonging to contractors operating along the corridor, including Hitech, CECC and CBC, for the temporary intervention.
Umahi said the ministry was still sourcing additional equipment and expected the emergency work to be carried out over the next four weeks.
