Just In: Umahi Blasts NDC 2027 Presidential Candidate Peter Obi, “He Can’t Face Me”
- Minister of Works David Umahi said Peter Obi posed no threat to President Tinubu or the APC during a television interview on Tuesday
- Umahi described the support around Obi as 'AI politics' and challenged the Obidient movement to debate him on infrastructure and reforms
- The minister also defended Tinubu's economic record, saying the damage of decades could not be reversed within three years
Minister of Works David Umahi has publicly dismissed Peter Obi as a political non-factor, saying neither President Bola Tinubu nor the All Progressives Congress had any reason to feel threatened by the Labour Party presidential candidate.
Umahi made the remarks during a television interview on Tuesday, pushing back against claims that the ruling party viewed Obi as a serious challenger ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Source: Twitter
"Even me, I cannot be scared of Peter Obi, not to talk about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or our party, the APC.
"What displays around Peter Obi is AI politics. You know, it's AI politics. It is putting something on nothing. So, nobody is scared of Peter Obi," Umahi said.
Umahi attacks Obi's gubernatorial record
The minister went further, questioning Obi's fitness to demand accountability from Tinubu, given what he described as an underwhelming performance as Anambra state governor, PM nws reported.
Umahi specifically cited the failure to fix roads, attract industry, empower residents, build an airport or seaport, or settle contractors.
"I read where it was said that Peter Obi said Tinubu should resign because of this, and I asked myself: How many times did Peter Obi resign as Governor of Anambra State for failure to fix the roads, failure to establish industry, failure to empower people, failure to establish an airport, or failure to establish a seaport? Failure to pay contractors," he said.
Umahi also turned his attention to the conduct of Obi's supporters, accusing the Obidient movement of hostility towards dissenting voices.
He alleged that those who disagreed with Obi were met with insults, threats, and in some cases, litigation, Sun reported.
"Look at the pattern of politics around Peter Obi. You disagree with him, then he takes you to court. How many times have you been abusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu? How many people has he taken to court?" he said, adding, "Look at the Obidient movement. You disagree, they insult people, they wish people dead, they issue threats and all kinds of things. Is that the kind of behavior we want?"
Umahi defends Tinubu's economic record
On the widespread concern about economic hardship, Umahi argued that Tinubu had inherited deep-rooted problems that could not be resolved quickly.
He urged Nigerians to be measured in their judgements of the administration.
"The darkest part of the night is the dawn. There were so many practices by the previous administration that occasioned us into what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited," he said.
He likened the recovery process to healing a wound, insisting that structural economic damage accumulated over six decades could not realistically be undone within three years.
Umahi maintained that Tinubu's reforms were beginning to yield results and deserved a second term, adding that no opposition figure currently had a credible alternative to what the president was delivering.
Atiku's ally dumps him
Previously, Legit.ng reported that Aslam Aliyu, a prominent ally of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar and a leading figure in Zamfara state's opposition circles, left the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Aliyu announced the move in a statement released on Sunday, July 5, in Abuja, saying nearly two decades of working within Atiku's political camp had led her to conclude that the opposition was incapable of offering Nigerians a credible path forward.
Source: Legit.ng
