2027: Southeast Won’t Be Deceived By Coalitions Again — Umahi Says We’ve Seen The light
umah
In the build-up to the 2027 general elections, Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has declared that the Southeast would not be swayed by political coalitions or opposition movements.
He insisted that the region has seen tangible developments under President Bola Tinubu and will no longer return to the politics of sentiment.
Speaking during an interview in Lagos on Friday, Umahi said the time had come for the Southeast to recognize the unprecedented attention it is receiving from the current administration and to embrace a more pragmatic approach to national politics.
“We have every reason to support him in 2027, and anybody that is coming to deceive our people again cannot succeed. We are going to work very hard to ensure that our people acquire the wisdom and the knowledge to know that this President Bola Tinubu has launched the Southeast back to the centre, and we are not going to be swayed or taken aback,” Umahi said.
“If you are in a coalition, you must tell your people your previous engagement in your state or within the national interest, what and what you’ve been able to achieve. Talk is cheap. Those politicians trooping into the so-called coalition, what projects or impacts have they made on their people when they were holding public offices in their respective states?”
He described the ongoing realignments and coalitions by politicians as tactics that will not alter the current political direction of the region, warning against emotional decision-making. “We cannot continue to play politics of sentiments; we have to play politics of realism. The people of the Southeast alone cannot make someone the president. It is a cooperative kind of arrangement.”
Highlighting developmental strides, Umahi pointed to key federal road projects across the region, including the completion of the long-abandoned Enugu–Onitsha and Port Harcourt–Enugu highways, as evidence of the administration’s commitment.
“That project (Enugu–Onitsha) has been on for the past eight years. Today, it is breathing very well,” he said, adding, “We have the Port Harcourt to Enugu road. That project has been there for 12 years. Today, it is at the verge of completion. I can go ahead and mention Enugu to Abakaliki and other ongoing multi-billion naira projects in the region.”
Umahi also defended his political alignment with the president, emphasizing the economic transformation being delivered through projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which he claims has already increased the GDP of Lagos by 20 percent. “These four legacy projects are investments beyond road construction. Nigeria will never remain the same because we are connecting economic corridors across zones,” he stated.
He urged the people of the Southeast to unite under a common vision and avoid being misled by political maneuvering. “This time, we will not divide our votes,” he said.
