The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has declared that the people of Ebonyi State will adopt President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as their sole presidential candidate for the 2027 elections on Monday, June 15.
The minister made the declaration in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Saturday, while addressing a team of editors and journalists on a tour of federal and state projects in the five South-East states of Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Imo.
The former governor of Ebonyi, who said the people of South-East appreciated President Tinubu, insisted that his people would not support Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), whose supporters are popularly referred to as ‘Obedients’.
Umahi said Governor Francis Nwifuru would lead the people of Ebonyi State at the rally to show appreciation to President Tinubu.
He urged Ebonyi citizens to ignore the ranting of opposition politicians who cannot match President Tinubu’s record.
“When we talk about the gains of the people of the South-East under President Bola Tinubu, some people who do not understand what we are talking about would continue to demarket us.
“But the South-East people are very appreciative of President Bola Tinubu and I think by Monday under the leadership of governor of Ebonyi, we are going to demonstrate it when we adopt the president as our sole candidate and the governor.
“And let it be known that Ebonyi State is not ‘Obidient’ because we want to catch up with the rest of the country and we will never be ‘Obidient’. What happened before was an accident of history. It will not repeat itself,” he said.
Reacting to claims that there are several abandoned federal government projects in the South-East, Umahi pointed out what he called legacy projects of the Tinubu administration.
“That’s the third legacy project of Mr President, running from Calabar. That’s joining the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway and then it goes straight to Benue boarder and because it is N444 billion, you know 50 percent is being paid by the president. Is it abandonment?” he asked.
“And then you will see the Dangote project that is running on a section of this trans-Sahara going to Abia, going to Okigwe and ends at Port Harcourt-Enugu federal highway. That project is ongoing and it’s N196 billion. Is it abandonment? The Ndibe beach, that very wonderful project. That project is N65 billion. Is it abandonment?
“Enugu boundary; Enugu-Abakaliki is N183 billion and is 118 kilometres. Is it abandonment? I’m just telling you some projects in Ebony State alone.”
The minister also claimed that Ebonyi has never had any federal government project, citing the period he was a party chairman, deputy governor and governor of the state for eight years.
“In the past, Ebonyi never had any federal project. I was party chairman for five years; I was deputy governor for four years. I was governor for eight years, I never saw any federal government in Ebonyi state,” he said.
“So, we have every reason to be ‘dis-Obidient in an obedient to President Bola Tinubu’. Him and him alone.”
South East governors and leaders are scheduled to converge in Abakaliki on Monday at a major rally to endorse President Tinubu for a second term.
The National Media Tour is organised by the Governor Hope Uzodimma-led Renewed Hope Ambassadors, in collaboration with the Presidential Media Team.
More details here...
