Former Ebonyi State Governor and Minister of Works, David Umahi, has faced criticism after saying it is not yet the turn of the Igbo to produce Nigeria’s president, adding that the current turn belongs to President Bola Tinubu.
Umahi made the remarks in Benin on Thursday while speaking on federal road projects and defending Tinubu’s administration. He also criticised former Anambra State Governor and Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate Peter Obi over his decision to contest the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi said: “When that guy said that Peter Obi is not my match, it took me 10 minutes to think about it.”
He questioned the basis for comparing him with Obi and asked whether it was based on family background, intellectual credentials or service to the South-East.
“Is it about what we have done for the people of the South-East? Is it about what we did when we were governors? So, when you say he’s not my match, put it side by side and tell me in what way Obi is better than me,” he said.
On the presidency, Umahi said, “What we are saying is that it’s not the turn of the Igbo yet.”
“I want to be president, but it’s not yet our turn. It’s the turn of President Bola Tinubu,” he said.
He added, “When it is our turn, at the time of God, He makes all things beautiful.”
Umahi also urged support for Tinubu, saying, “We are saying that the president has done very well. In South-South, in South-East and in the entire geopolitical zone, he deserves continuity, he deserves support,” the minister said.
His comments have drawn strong reactions from critics who argue that Nigeria’s presidency rotates between the North and South rather than among individuals.
Public affairs analyst Adedayo Oluwatosin accused Umahi of trying to remain in Tinubu’s good books, while also questioning his comparison with Obi.
“I call what Umahi is doing selfishness. He is not happy that Obi is more popular than him. Didn’t you hear what he said? He said he would want to be president, but it is not the Igbo’s turn yet, rather Tinubu’s turn. He is scheming to position himself, maybe, for the position of vice president in 2031.
“Otherwise, how can anybody say it is not the Igbo’s turn yet? Power rotates between the North and the South. When you talk about the South, Obasanjo (South-West) has been president for eight years, and Goodluck Jonathan (South-South) has been president for five years.
“It is only the Igbo (South-East) that has not produced a president. That was why most Nigerians voted for Obi in 2023, apart from the fact that he was the best candidate then.
“Today, he still remains the best candidate in terms of integrity, capacity and competence. And he still remains the candidate from the zone that has not produced the president of this country since 1999, when this Fourth Republic began. So, when Umahi said it is not the turn of the Igbo yet, one may want to ask him when it will be the Igbo’s turn.
“Is it when power moves back to the North in 2031? So, that statement is full of deceit and jealousy,” he stated.
Oluwatosin also said, “Did Umahi think that he is Obi’s match? Does he need anybody to tell him that they are poles apart? In 1996, Obi bought a property worth one million pounds in the United Kingdom, three years before Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 and almost 10 years before he ventured into politics as Anambra State governor.
“Where was Umahi in 1996? Obi became wealthy through his personal sweat. Umahi became wealthy through politics. If not for politics, can he be in the same gathering with Obi? So, there is no comparison between the two, actually.”
Lagos businessman Chidozie Okafor also criticised Umahi and argued that the minister and others supporting Tinubu were driven by political interests.
“In Nigeria, there is nobody who doesn’t know that it is the turn of the Igbo to produce the next president in 2023. Obi presented himself for the job and Nigerians loved him and voted massively for him, but his mandate was stolen by the electoral umpire.
“Now, that window is still open till the next four years, and Nigerians are saying that this time, we must vote for Obi and ensure that we guard our votes so that nobody will steal it again, and somebody like Umahi is crying wolf.
“Umahi’s argument can only make sense to people like him; people who are envious of Obi’s rising profile. But there is nothing he can do because Nigerians have decided that on January 16, 2027, they will vote for Obi.
“Their decision is hinged on the fact that, first, it is the turn of the Igbo and, secondly, he is the most competent of all the candidates.
“So, leave Umahi to his own opinion; it is his right, but we all know where he is coming from, just that this time, such a trick will not work. It is too late in the day.
“Even the North has agreed that the Igbo should be given the opportunity since every other zone in Nigeria has tried its best and Nigeria is still not working.
“Let an Igbo man try and see if things can improve,” he said.
Okafor added: “As for whether Umahi is Obi’s match, that is not in contention. He is not Obi’s match at all. He wanted to know the criteria. I won’t say it here because some people may accuse me of committing libel, but the minister should just know that the difference between him and Obi is like darkness and light. He represents darkness while Obi represents light, and I am sure he knows that darkness is no match for light.”
Lagos lawyer Marcellus Onah also defended Obi, saying criticism against him showed his growing popularity.
He said, “So, forget about Umahi and his co-conspirators. He doesn’t know that the train has left him. I pray that he will be alive to see Obi contest the 2027 presidential election, win and be sworn in.
“No amount of lies, character assassination, mudslinging or jealousy can change what God has ordained,” he said.
James Okoye similarly criticised Umahi, saying Nigerians from different parts of the country were supporting Obi despite opposition from some people in the South-East.
“But I have a message for Umahi and his co-conspirators – Nigerians have found succour in Obi, and there is nothing he and his likes can do to stop that. Obi’s record is what is speaking for him.
“Here is a man whom all the anti-graft agencies have scrutinised from head to toe without anything to hold him down. No politician in Nigeria has such a record. That is the man Umahi is challenging those who said he is not his match to show him the reasons.
“Can Umahi honestly subject himself to the anti-graft agencies’ scrutiny of his tenure as Ebonyi governor? He can’t because if he does, a can of worms will be unravelled. That’s just his tenure as governor, not to talk of his tenure as deputy governor, state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or his current position as minister.
“So, he should just allow the sleeping dog to lie peacefully and let Nigerians continue to love Obi until he becomes president in 2027,” he stated.
