South-East no longer Obidient. Last election was a mistake and – Dave Umahi

Nigeria’s Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has declared that the South-East, with Ebonyi State at the forefront, will cast its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.

Speaking at the Ohanivo 2025 New Yam Festival in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on Saturday, the former governor said there is no political space for the Peter Obi-led Obidient Movement in the state. Umahi, who now serves in Tinubu’s cabinet, argued that the South-East has endured prolonged marginalisation, insisting that the region can no longer be described as “Obidient.”

“We are not Obidient people. We have been so marginalized that we are no longer Obidient. No, we are not,” he declared. “But it is the man that has given us a sense of belonging, President Bola Tinubu. Let it not be that we are from Ebonyi State and they are saying this state belongs to us. There is no Obidient person in Ebonyi State.”

He said that in 2027, the South-East, particularly Ebonyi, would reciprocate what he described as Tinubu’s “good deeds” by voting for him, stressing that the region would not be misled by what he called political mistakes of the past.

“What we have to do is to record the good things that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has done for South-East and Ebonyi State when the time comes,” Umahi said. “We will not be deceived again because the last election was a mistake but we have come to be wiser. I will not finish naming all that the President is doing for us.”

Umahi’s remarks, delivered at a cultural festival attended by traditional rulers, political leaders, and community members, are likely to stir fresh debates in a region where Peter Obi and the Labour Party enjoyed overwhelming support during the 2023 elections.

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