The national leadership of the Labour Party (LP), led by Senator Nenadi Usman, The African Democratic Party (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have descended on the Minister of Works, Mr. David Umahi over his position that the South-East was not ripe for the presidency in 2027.
The three opposition parties, described the statement credited to Umahi, asking the South-East to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, as self-serving and lacks logical reasoning.
The opposition parties further said Umahi should be ashamed of himself for his provocative and self-serving statement.
Leading the attacks on Umahi, Mr. Ken Asogwa, Spokesperson of the Senator Nenadi Usman-led Labour Party, noted that the same Umahi declared intention to contest the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress APC in 2022 which he anchored on the prism of “it was the turn of the South-East” to produce the President.
Umahi, had in a statement on Monday, appealed to the South-East to support Tinubu, claiming it would serve the long-term interest of the Igbo people.
Umahi said; “We must not be deceived again. Mr President must have the votes of the Southeast up to 90 per cent to cement this relationship. Enough of darkening counsel without knowledge in the South-East.
“If we want to be president, we must avoid the politics of hate, misinformation, and sentiments. We must support other regions, and with God, one day, other regions will support us.
“Mr President must be supported to complete his tenure of eight years, which all regions are benefiting from. One day, we will be number one, but not in 2027” Umahi insisted.
While reacting to Umahi’s position, Asogwa said the same geo-political zone that was due in 2022 for Umahi, is suddenly no longer ‘ripe’ because the same Umahi wants to protect his position as a minister in President Tinubu’s cabinet.
Asogwa said; “My simple question to Umahi is: What exactly has changed between 2023 and now?”
In his own reaction, Mr Bolaji Abdullahi, Interim National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), described Umahi’s comment as self-serving, divisive, insincere, politically motivated and hypocritical in their argument about power remaining in the South.
In the words of Abdullahi; “When they say power should stay in the South, it is actually a dubious claim. They don’t truly mean it. What they are really saying, is that Tinubu should be allowed to continue in office.
“So, all the talk about power rotation is just a cover. What they want is for power to remain in the hands of their preferred candidate for another four years. This clearly shows how insincere they are,” he said.
Also speaking on the subject matter, Mr Okechukwu Osuoha, Deputy National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said it was clear that Umahi was not sincere in his remarks.
Osuoha pointedly said that Umahi was merely expressing the position of his party and not speaking on behalf of the South-East or Nigerians at large.
He said; “Umahi is a member of the APC and not of the PDP or any other political party in the country. Nigeria is a plural state with many political parties, and we are all citizens entitled to equal rights.
“The Constitution of Nigeria, Section 42, clearly provides that no citizen should be discriminated against based on tribe, religion, or circumstances of birth,” he said.
Osuoha further said that it must be understood that Umahi is not the mouthpiece of the South-East, emphasising that the minister was only expressing his personal views as an APC member trying to serve the interest of his political mentor.
“He cannot speak for the Southeast, and he cannot speak for Nigerians. In fact, he is not sincere with Nigerians, because if he is, he won’t ask them to support failure. As a party, the PDP has its own zoning formula clearly outlined in our constitution,” he said.
