The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Enugu State has cautioned the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi against threatening the South-East to overwhelmingly vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) or risk the continuation of major federal infrastructure projects across the region.
Enugu ADC stated that even at gunpoint, the people of the region will still not vote for President Tinubu, because his government aggravated the marginalization of Ndigbo in Nigeria.
The party spoke against the backdrop of comments made by the former Governor of Ebonyi State on Wednesday, while inspecting federal road and bridge projects in Ebonyi State.
According to media reports, Umahi urged the South-East to vote for President Tinubu overwhelmingly, warning that failure to do so, could jeopardize the continuation of major federal infrastructure projects across the region.
He argued that the South-East has regained relevance in national politics under the current administration, citing his appointment as the Minister of Works and the scale of projects spread across the region.
Reacting in a strong-worded press statement on Sunday, the Secretary of ADC in Enugu State, Comrade Adolphus Ude expressed serious disapproval over the comments credited to Umahi, describing his utterances as reckless, unwarranted and irresponsible.
Ude who was the founding Deputy Chairman of APC in Enugu State, reprimanded Umahi for attempting to use intimidation, force and strong-arm tactics to secure victory for his principal, President Tinubu in the South-East region.
The Enugu ADC scribe noted that the people of the South-East are known to be independent minded when it comes to voting in elections, warning that no form of coercion or threat can make them to vote for a candidate who is not their choice.
He upbraided Umahi for claiming that President Tinubu has addressed the marginalisation of the South-East, whereas in actual fact, the exclusion of the region has been aggravated under the current administration.
Quoting part of the press statement: “Enugu ADC challenges Umahi to go beyond making outrageous claims, to state in clear terms the major infrastructure projects going on across the South-East, to warrant the region to vote overwhelming for President Tinubu in 2027.
“Umahi should name the location of the major infrastructure projects of the Tinubu government in the South-East and their worth in monetary terms. Regarding allocation of infrastructure projects, no government has marginalised the South-East more than the current administration.
“No part of the South East was considered, even as a bypass for the two major road infrastructure projects of the Tinubu government, namely, the controversial multi-trillion Naira Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Sokoto-Badagry Highway. These are brand new road projects.
“The so-called major infrastructure projects of Umahi in the South-East are abandoned projects from previous federal governments, some dating back to the era of the PDP, before the APC government inherited them.
“As of today, there is no visible new infrastructure project being executed by the Tinubu government anywhere in the South East. The long anticipated dredging of River Niger is not going on. The South-East does not have a rail line. So, where are the infrastructure projects that will be jeopardized if the South-East fails to vote for Tinubu?
“Besides, Umahi cannot claim that he is not aware that the South East is the only region that its passport issuing machines have been deactivated, compelling Igbos who want to get travel passports to rely solely on Abuja.”
Speaking further, Ude equally dismissed the claim by Umahi that the South-East regained relevance in national politics under the current Tinubu administration, warning the Minister to learn to draw a line between his personal interests and the interest of the entire region.
Describing the marginalisation of the South-East under the Tinubu government as “unprecedented” the Enugu ADC scribe noted that the region is the only region that has five Ministers in the Federal Executive Council (FEC), out of which three are junior Ministers, whereas Ogun State alone has four Ministers.
Ude insisted that the South-East owed President Tinubu nothing, having been grossly excluded by his administration in the allocation of federal infrastructure, intervention funds and appointments.
Continuing, Ude recalled that in 2023, Tinubu lost woefully in all the five South East states, namely Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, scoring less than 10 percent of the total votes cast.
According to him, in spite of all the bravado of Dave Umahi as the then-Governor of Ebonyi State, Tinubu could not get up to 13 percent of the votes in his state during the last presidential election.
He maintained that nothing has happened under the Tinubu administration to guarantee a turn of events for the ruling party in the South-East during the coming 2027 elections.
Consequently, Ude asked Umahi to withdraw the threat to the South East to vote for Tinubu or risk continuation of federal projects, and tender an unreserved apology to Ndigbo for talking down on them.