ENUGU, Nigeria — The African Democratic Congress in Enugu State has rejected calls for the South-East to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, accusing Minister of Works David Umahi of attempting to intimidate the region with threats over federal infrastructure projects.
The party was reacting to remarks credited to Umahi during an inspection of federal road and bridge projects in Ebonyi State. The minister had urged the South-East to give Tinubu overwhelming support in the next presidential election, warning that failure to do so could affect the continuation of major federal projects in the region.
Umahi argued that the Tinubu administration had shown commitment to the South-East through infrastructure investment and by appointing an Igbo politician to head the Ministry of Works. He cited ongoing projects, including the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway, as evidence that the region had been reintegrated into national development plans.
But in a statement, the Enugu ADC secretary, Adolphus Ude, described Umahi’s comments as “reckless, irresponsible and unacceptable.” Ude, a former founding deputy chairman of the APC in Enugu, said the South-East could not be coerced into supporting any candidate through threats or political blackmail.
The ADC challenged Umahi to identify what it called major new federal projects initiated by the Tinubu administration in the South-East, including their locations and contract values. Ude argued that many of the projects being cited were inherited from previous administrations, while the region remained excluded from flagship road projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway.
He also faulted claims that the administration had addressed the region’s long-standing grievances, saying the South-East remained politically and economically marginalised. According to him, the zone has fewer ministerial slots than other regions, lacks a functional rail link and has yet to see movement on major development demands such as the dredging of the River Niger.
Ude said Tinubu lost in all five South-East states in the 2023 presidential election and argued that nothing had happened since then to significantly change the region’s political mood.
The exchange reflects rising political tension ahead of the 2027 election, as the ruling APC seeks to expand support in a region where it has historically struggled. For the ADC, Umahi’s remarks show why opposition parties must resist what they describe as pressure politics. For the APC, federal infrastructure remains a key argument in its appeal to South-East voters.
The dispute is likely to continue as parties begin early positioning for 2027.
