“Let Voters Decide Who Becomes President, Not Elites — Peter Obi Tells Umahi

Peter Obi responds to Minister of Works David Umahi’s statement that it is not yet the South-East’s turn to produce Nigeria’s president, insisting that the power to decide rests solely with the electorate, not political elites.

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has countered remarks by the Minister of Works, David Umahi, who recently stated that “it is not yet the turn of the South-East” to produce Nigeria’s president in 2027.

Umahi, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday, had urged South-East politicians to shelve their presidential ambitions and instead support President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

Reacting through his media aide and National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, Obi maintained that the decision over who becomes Nigeria’s next president should be left to the voters, not a few political elites.

“In a democracy, it is the people who decide who becomes the next president, not any individual,” Obi said

“Performance and track record will guide the people’s choice — and that’s how it should be.”

Obi added that while discussions about zoning should ideally not dominate political discourse, the principle has become a necessary arrangement to sustain Nigeria’s unity.

“Ordinarily, we shouldn’t be having talks about regional rotation,” he said. “But since it has become part of our political reality for the sake of unity, the understanding should be respected.”

Earlier, Umahi had defended President Tinubu’s administration, arguing that it had treated all regions fairly, particularly the South-East, which is benefiting from major infrastructure projects such as the Enugu–Onitsha Road, Port Harcourt–Aba–Umuahia–Enugu Dual Carriageway, and Abakaliki–Benue Trans-Sahara Road.

He stated that Tinubu should be allowed to complete his constitutionally permitted eight years before the South-East could justifiably demand the presidency.

“It’s not our time yet,” Umahi declared. “We, the 17 Southern Governors, agreed before 2023 that the next president should come from the South. The mandate went to Tinubu. He should complete his term before the South-East can vie.”

Umahi’s remarks have stirred renewed discussions over Nigeria’s zoning and power rotation formula. Since 1999, the South-East has not produced a president, prompting persistent calls for inclusion and equity.

Obi’s response echoes growing opposition sentiment that the 2027 presidential contest should be determined through the ballot box — not by elite consensus or coercion.

Meanwhile, the Obidient Movement has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) against celebrating the wave of defections from opposition parties in the South-East, saying such moves will not translate into real electoral support in 2027.

Tanko alleged that many defections were driven by financial inducements rather than genuine conviction.

“Most of these governors lack the people’s mandate to defect,” he said. “They are merely chasing the funds being distributed by the APC-led government. But when the chips are down, voters will show their anger.”

Reacting to reports of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah’s planned defection to the APC, founding APC member Osita Okechukwu described it as a “defining political moment” signaling the end of the PDP’s dominance in the region.

“Governor Mbah’s defection is a pragmatic and inevitable decision,” Okechukwu said. “It marks the collapse of the PDP’s hold on the South-East — from controlling all five states in 1999 to having none in 2025.”

He blamed the PDP’s alleged neglect of the region and failure to uphold zoning principles for its political downfall, citing the 2023 presidential primary and the controversy surrounding the National Secretary position as key examples of exclusion.

Okechukwu also recalled the words of the late Senate President Chuba Okadigbo, who once warned that the PDP “rewards loyalty with punishment,” adding that the latest defections only confirmed years of frustration within the region.

“Governor Mbah’s exit is not isolated,” he concluded. “It represents the final chapter of the South-East’s disillusionment with a party that ignored fairness, justice, and loyalty.”

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