Minister of Works David Umahi has urged voters in Ebonyi State not to support the presidential ambition of former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi in the 2027 election.
Umahi made the remarks while addressing residents of Ebonyi State in a video that has circulated widely online. He questioned Obi’s relationship with Ebonyi people and challenged the former governor to identify an indigene of the state whom he appointed during his time as governor of Anambra State.
The minister argued that Ebonyi people should make their own political decisions rather than automatically align with political choices made elsewhere in the South-East...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE .
Umahi specifically referred to what he described as the treatment of Ebonyi people by political actors from other parts of the region. He alleged that Ebonyi is often remembered when votes are needed but questioned whether the state receives comparable consideration at other times.
“When you were a governor, give me one Ebonyi person that you gave an appointment,” Umahi said while challenging Obi over appointments during his administration in Anambra State.
He also referred to the removal of Abakaliki Street in Anambra and questioned why, according to him, Obi did not speak out over the matter.
Umahi maintained that Ebonyi people should not be regarded as politically subordinate to other groups within the South-East.
“We are not second-class citizens. We are proud Ebonyi people,” he said, according to reports of his remarks.
He subsequently urged residents to use their votes to express their political position, arguing that the state had developed its own identity and should protect its political interests.
The minister also referred to Ebonyi’s 30th anniversary as a state and warned against what he described as any attempt to undermine the autonomy the state has gained since its creation.
Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, is among the politicians publicly associated with the 2027 presidential contest. His political support in the South-East has remained an important part of discussions about voting patterns ahead of the election.
Umahi’s latest comments add to the continuing debate over whether voters in the South-East should make political choices based primarily on regional solidarity or on individual state interests and political considerations.
The minister has previously spoken publicly about the political choices of Ebonyi and the wider South-East.
In June 2026, Umahi said Ebonyi would adopt President Bola Tinubu as its preferred presidential candidate for the 2027 election, while arguing that the South-East had benefited from federal projects under Tinubu’s administration.
His latest comments therefore come within an ongoing political debate over the 2027 presidential election and the voting preferences of South-Eastern states.
The 2027 election has not yet taken place, and political parties and candidates are still positioning themselves ahead of the campaign period. Umahi’s comments represent his own political position, while voters in Ebonyi and elsewhere will ultimately make their choices at the ballot box.
