In 2027, the South East will not vote for Tinubu, and Enugu ADC responds to Umahi.

By Henry Obetta

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State announced that the South‑East would not back President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election. The party dismissed claims by Works Minister David Umahi that the region could lose federal infrastructure projects if it did not vote heavily for Tinubu.

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The ADC urged Umahi to “do his worst,” stating that intimidation or political pressure would not compel South‑East voters to support Tinubu.

The statement followed comments attributed to Umahi during an inspection of federal road and bridge projects in Ebonyi State. He allegedly warned that the South‑East would risk losing ongoing federal projects if it did not back Tinubu’s re‑election bid.

Umahi also claimed that the Tinubu administration had restored the region’s political relevance, citing his appointment as Minister of Works and the spread of infrastructure projects across the South‑East.

In a response, Enugu State ADC Secretary Adolphus Ude described Umahi’s remarks as “reckless, irresponsible and unacceptable.” Ude, a former founding Deputy Chairman of the APC in Enugu State, accused the minister of attempting to blackmail and intimidate the South‑East into supporting Tinubu in 2027.

Ude asserted that the people of the region are politically independent and cannot be coerced into voting for any candidate against their will. He also challenged Umahi’s claim that the Tinubu administration had addressed the marginalisation of the South‑East, arguing instead that exclusion of the region had worsened under the current government.

“Umahi should mention the major infrastructure projects being executed by the Tinubu government in the South‑East and state their locations and value,” Ude said.

He argued that the region was excluded from flagship projects such as the Lagos‑Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto‑Badagry Highway. According to Ude, most of the projects Umahi referred to were inherited from previous administrations, and there were no significant new federal infrastructure projects currently underway in the South‑East.

“The long‑awaited dredging of the River Niger is not ongoing, and the South‑East still has no rail line. So, what projects are being threatened?” he asked.

Ude further alleged that the South‑East remained the most marginalised geopolitical zone under the Tinubu administration, noting that the region had only five ministers in the Federal Executive Council, three of whom were ministers of state. He also claimed that passport‑issuing machines had been deactivated across the South‑East, forcing residents to travel to Abuja for international passports.

The ADC leader maintained that the South‑East owes Tinubu no political loyalty, recalling that the President lost in all five states of the region during the 2023 presidential election. According to him, nothing has changed the political mood of the region ahead of the 2027 polls.

Ude called on Umahi to withdraw the alleged threat and apologise to the Ndigbo for “talking down on the people of the South‑East.”

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