• As Umahi rallies region for Tinubu’s re-election

The Federal Government has explained that it has four road legacy projects across the six geopolitical zones, including the N445.8 billion Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Kano-Nasarawa-Abuja Road for the South-East region.
 
This explanation came on the heels of another allegation of road infrastructure marginalisation against the South-East region. A former Governor of Kano, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in July 2025, accused the President Bola Tinubu administration of marginalising the Northern region in his road infrastructure drive.
 
The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, had debunked Kwankwaso’s assertions, accusing him of mischief and ignorance. Barely a week ago, the leadership of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), at a summit on government accountability in Kaduna, made similar allusions, accusing the President of sidelining the North in infrastructure despite securing majority votes in the region during the 2023 elections.
 
Umahi said: “I have directed all the regional directors of the Federal Ministry of Works back to sites in all the regions across the country to compile all inherited but ongoing projects and all new projects in all the regions so that Nigerians will appreciate the huge works that the President is doing in all the regions irrespective of those who voted for him and those who did not. The President is using fair distribution of infrastructure to reunite Nigerians and renew their hope, and only those who open their eyes will see the light of change in Nigeria.”

In the statement entitled: ‘President Tinubu treating the South-East region with fairness and equity in road and bridge infrastructure development’, Umahi condemned a social media publication of one Linus Anagboso (D-Big Pen), describing it as mischievous and deceptive.

He said: “My attention has been drawn to a wrong and misleading statement in social media published by one Mr Linus Anagboso (D-Big Pen) captioned, ‘The Politics of Asphalt: Why is the South-East is missing from the map?’

Umahi said he challenged the South-East to avoid politics of hate, misinformation and sentiments, if the region is interested in producing the President of the country in the future.

The minister pointed out that although politics is in the air, the South-East should not be misled by ignorant people.  He called on the region to work towards mobilising over 90 per cent of votes for Tinubu in the forthcoming 2027 presidential election.

He noted that the region’s support for Tinubu would strengthen its chances of producing the President of the country in future. Umahi further asked the zone to resist what he described as “darkening counsel without knowledge” to deceive the people into believing that an Igbo Presidency is achievable in 2027.