Peter Obi can never be South-East’s best — Umahi

File: Minister of Works, David Umahi

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said Peter Obi “can never be the best” presidential candidate from the South-East, defending political leaders from the region who support President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Umahi made the remarks in a Friday interview with ARISE News , arguing that Obi failed to adequately consult political leaders in the region before his presidential bid in the 2023 election.

“Peter Obi is not the best of our finest in South East. He’s not the best, he can never be the best,” Umahi said.

The former Ebonyi State governor said a presidential aspirant seeking to represent the South-East should consult governors and other political stakeholders in the region before pursuing the ambition.

“You cannot play politics in South East without consulting people like us,” he said.

Umahi said he would have consulted political leaders in the region if he had sought the presidency, arguing that an ambition carrying the expectations of an entire region should not be pursued in isolation.

“If I were contesting, I would have consulted,” he said.

He maintained that the South-East had other qualified political figures who could aspire to the presidency and challenged the suggestion that Obi should automatically be regarded as the region’s strongest candidate because of his performance in the 2023 election.

Umahi also questioned the argument that the presidency should automatically go to Anambra State if the South-East had an opportunity to produce Nigeria’s president.

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He noted that Nigeria’s first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, came from the area now constituting Anambra State, arguing that other states in the region should also be considered.

Umahi identified Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo as states that should have opportunities in any future discussions about producing a president from the South-East.

The minister’s comments came as he defended political leaders in the region who support Tinubu rather than Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Umahi argued that the South-East’s path to the presidency depended on political negotiation and alliances with other parts of the country rather than support for a particular candidate being treated as a test of loyalty to the region.

He also rejected criticism of South-East political figures backing Tinubu, saying it was wrong to portray them as betraying the region because of their political choices.

The minister maintained that the region needed to build alliances across Nigeria if it wanted to produce a president, insisting that no single politician should be treated as its only viable presidential option.

Recall that in September, PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Umahi, speaking in Benin City, challenged comparisons with Peter Obi, saying he saw no area in which the former Anambra governor was superior to him.

He also said the South-East would eventually produce Nigeria’s president but insisted that “it is not yet our turn.”