Obi Counters Umahi: South-East’s Presidential Fate Lies with Nigerians, Not Elites

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has criticised Minister of Works David Umahi for stating that “it is not yet the turn of the South-East” to produce Nigeria’s president in 2027.

Umahi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, had urged politicians from the South-East to shelve their presidential ambitions and support President Bola Tinubu for re-election.

Responding through his media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, Obi maintained that only Nigerians at the polls — not political elites — have the constitutional power to determine the next president.

> “This is a democracy. It is the people who will decide who becomes the next president, not any individual,” Obi said. “Performance and track record will determine what the people want — that’s how it should be.”



Obi added that while conversations around power rotation should not ordinarily dominate politics, it remains a political reality that promotes national unity.

> “Ideally, we shouldn’t be debating whether the presidency should go North or South,” he said. “But since it’s part of our political structure for unity, the principle should be respected.”



Earlier, Umahi had argued that Tinubu should be allowed to complete his constitutionally permitted eight-year tenure before the South-East makes another presidential bid.

> “No, it’s not our time yet,” Umahi said. “The 17 southern governors agreed in Asaba before the 2023 elections that power should shift to the South. President Tinubu emerged, and he must finish his eight years, which belong to all of us. After 2031, the South-East can contest.”



The former Ebonyi State governor insisted that Tinubu has treated all regions fairly, citing major infrastructure projects in the South-East, including the Enugu–Onitsha Road, Port Harcourt–Aba–Umuahia–Enugu Dual Carriageway, and Abakaliki–Benue Boundary Trans-Sahara Road.

> “President Tinubu is fair to everyone and doesn’t care about ethnicity,” Umahi added. “The South-East should appreciate his efforts rather than agitate for power.”



Umahi’s remarks have reignited debate over Nigeria’s zoning and power rotation arrangements. Since 1999, the South-East has yet to produce a president, sparking long-standing calls for equity and inclusion.

Obi’s response reflects a growing sentiment among opposition figures that the 2027 presidential election should be determined by voters, not elite consensus. Analysts believe the exchange highlights early political maneuvering as parties prepare for the next general election.

Meanwhile, the Obidient Movement warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to celebrate recent defections from opposition parties in the South-East, saying such moves won’t translate into electoral success for Tinubu in 2027.

Tanko described the defections as “politically motivated,” accusing some governors of chasing federal government funds.

> “Most of these governors don’t have the mandate of the people to do what they’re doing,” he said. “They’re desperate for the funds being distributed by the