The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, has strongly criticized the Minister of Works, David Umahi, over his recent comments suggesting that it is not yet the South-East’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president in 2027.

 

Umahi, in a widely publicized interview, urged South-East politicians to shelve any presidential ambition and instead rally behind incumbent President Bola Tinubu for a second term. He asserted that the South-East could only vie for the presidency after Tinubu completes his constitutionally allowed eight years in office.

 

The statement has sparked widespread backlash, particularly from supporters of Obi, whose 2023 campaign galvanized millions across the country — particularly in the South-East and among youth voters.

 

Responding to Umahi’s remarks, Obi’s media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Yunusa Tanko, dismissed the Minister’s position as undemocratic and out of touch with Nigeria’s political reality.

 

“It is a democratic setting, and it is the people who will decide who becomes the next president, not any individual,” Tanko said. “Performance and track record will determine what the people want. That is how it should be.”

 

Obi himself weighed in on the matter, noting that while Nigeria should ideally move beyond zoning or regional politics, the current political arrangement — based on rotation and equity — must be respected for the sake of national unity.

 

“Ordinarily, we shouldn’t be having talks about whether it should be a southern or northern candidate. But since it has already been established for the unity of this country, the status quo should remain,” Obi said.

 

The exchange underscores growing political tension within the South-East region, where leaders remain divided over whether to pursue the presidency in 2027 or wait until 2031, as suggested by pro-Tinubu figures like Umahi.

 

Political analysts say Obi’s response signals that he remains firmly in contention ahead of 2027 and that the Labour Party will not be pressured into standing down its ambition in favor of political deals or elite consensus.

 

As Nigeria’s political landscape begins to shift in anticipation of the next election cycle, debates over zoning, equity, and performance are expected to dominate the discourse — especially with voices like Obi continuing to challenge establishment narratives.