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 despite alleged threats linked to federal infrastructure projects in the region.
The party was reacting to comments reportedly made by the Minister of Works David Umahi during an inspection of federal road and bridge projects in Ebonyi State. Umahi was said to have urged the South East to support Tinubu’s re election bid or risk losing ongoing federal projects.
According to the ADC the alleged statement amounts to political intimidation and blackmail against the people of the South East. The Enugu State Secretary of the party Adolphus Ude described the remarks as reckless irresponsible and unacceptable.
Ude stated that the South East is politically independent and cannot be forced to support any presidential candidate against the will of the people. He challenged Umahi to identify major infrastructure projects initiated by the Tinubu administration in the region and provide details of their locations and value.
The ADC chieftain argued that most projects currently ongoing in the South East were inherited from previous administrations and not newly initiated by the current government. He also claimed that the region was excluded from major national infrastructure projects including the Lagos Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto Badagry Highway.
According to Ude the South East remains the most marginalised geopolitical zone in Nigeria under the present administration. He alleged that the region has only five ministers in the Federal Executive Council with three serving as ministers of state.
He further claimed that residents of the South East now travel to Abuja for international passports because passport issuing machines in the region have been deactivated.
The ADC maintained that President Tinubu lost in all five South East states during the 2023 presidential election and insisted that the political mood of the region has not ced ahead of 2027.
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