Works Minister David Umahi has urged communities in Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu and Cross River states to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, linking the president’s return to office with the completion of major road projects across the region.

Umahi made the appeal during an inspection of the Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Abuja Trans-Saharan Highway at the weekend.

The minister said the federal government’s infrastructure interventions had opened up communities that had previously struggled to move agricultural produce, vehicles and machinery because of poor road access.

He argued that continued support for Tinubu would help ensure the completion of the projects, saying no other person would have the same commitment to seeing them through.

“The only way this project can be completed is for the people to massively vote for President Tinubu, as no other person would have the deep passion and commitment to complete the project,” Umahi said.

He described Tinubu’s intervention as a “miracle” for communities that had long lacked adequate federal road connections.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken the bull by the horns and intervened in many of the issues. We cannot have all the money to do all the projects at once, so we will continue to do the much we can based on our available resources,” he said.

Umahi said the projects would be completed by 2031 if Tinubu secured a second term in the 2027 presidential election.

“By the end of 2031, which will be the end of President Bola Tinubu’s second tenure if he is re-elected, these projects and roads would have been fully completed,” he said.

The minister said Tinubu had approved and provided mobilisation for the highway project despite financial constraints and the volume of infrastructure projects under the ministry.

He also urged residents to recognise the federal government’s intervention in their communities.

“I appeal to the communities in Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River and other parts of the country to acknowledge and appreciate the federal government’s intervention,” Umahi said.

The minister said the government was working with state authorities to address infrastructure challenges and improve access to communities and agricultural areas.

Umahi also cited other federal road interventions, including projects around Ibadan and Ijebu Ode as well as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.