The Senator Nenadi Usman-led national leadership of the Labour Party have criticised the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, for urging the South-East to back Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
In a statement on Monday, Umahi had appealed to the South-East to support Tinubu, claiming it would serve the long-term interest of the Igbo people.
The statement 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.
“We must rise to educate our people. 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. I will vocally continue to stand against any mischief to deceive our people. We are known for hard work and love, and not hate.”
Reacting to Umahi’s remark, spokesperson of Senator Nenadi Usman, Mr Ken Asogwa, described the minister’s statement as self-serving.
He said, “Engr Dave Umahi ought to be ashamed of himself for his provocative and self-serving statement.
“In 2022, when he declared his intention to contest the presidential ticket of the APC, he anchored his ambition on the argument that it was the turn of the South-East to produce the President.
“Fast forward to 2027, that same region is suddenly no longer ‘ripe’ for the Presidency, simply because Umahi now wants to protect his position as a minister in President Tinubu’s cabinet.
“My simple question to Umahi is: What exactly has changed between 2023 and now?
On his part, the PDP Deputy National Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha, said Umahi was not sincere in his remarks.
Osuoha said the minister was merely expressing the position of his party and not speaking on behalf of the South-East or Nigerians at large.
The PDP leader, who also hails from the South-East, stated, “It is wrong for Umahi to make that statement because he is speaking for himself.
“He is a member of the APC and not of the PDP or any other political party in Nigeria.
“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.”
Osuoha said Umahi was not the mouthpiece of the South-East, adding that he was only expressing his personal views as an APC member trying to serve the interest of his political mentor.
“He cannot speak for the entire 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.
The National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, described Umahi’s comment as self-serving and politically motivated.
He stated, “It is a divisive and insincere statement because it reveals the hypocrisy in their argument about power remaining in the South.
“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.”
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