The African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Enugu State has declared that the South-East will not support President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, dismissing alleged threats by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, that the region could lose federal infrastructure projects if it fails to back the President’s re-election bid.
The party challenged Umahi to “do his worst,” insisting that no amount of political intimidation or pressure would compel the people of the South-East to vote against their will.
The reaction followed comments reportedly made by Umahi during an inspection of federal road and bridge projects in Ebonyi State, where he allegedly urged the South-East to massively support Tinubu in 2027 or risk losing ongoing federal projects.
Umahi was also said to have argued that the region had regained political relevance under the Tinubu administration, citing his appointment as Minister of Works and ongoing infrastructure projects across the South-East.
However, reacting in a statement on Sunday, the Enugu State Secretary of ADC, Adolphus Ude, described the remarks attributed to the minister as “reckless, irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Ude, a former founding Deputy Chairman of the APC in Enugu State, accused Umahi of attempting to blackmail and intimidate the South-East into supporting Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
According to him, the people of the region remain politically independent and cannot be coerced into supporting any candidate through threats or intimidation.
He further dismissed claims that the Tinubu administration had addressed the marginalisation of the South-East, insisting that the situation 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 stated.
He argued that the region was excluded from major federal projects such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, adding that many of the projects referenced by Umahi were inherited from previous administrations.
According to him, there are no significant new federal infrastructure projects currently ongoing 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 also alleged that the South-East remains the most marginalised geopolitical zone under the Tinubu administration, noting that the region has only five ministers in the Federal Executive Council, with three serving as ministers of state.
He further claimed that passport issuing machines had been deactivated across the South-East, forcing residents to travel to Abuja for international passports.
The ADC chieftain maintained that the South-East owed 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 happened since then to alter the political mood of the region ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ude, therefore, called on Umahi to withdraw the alleged threat and apologise to Ndigbo for what he described as “talking down on the people of the South-East.”
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