Minister of Works David Umahi has boldly declared that the South-East region is prepared to deliver 90% of its votes to President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. Speaking during a recent interview and subsequent political engagements in February 2026, the former Ebonyi State Governor explained that the region’s stance has shifted significantly since 2023 due to the administration’s massive investments in regional infrastructure.
Umahi pointed to the over ₦1.3 trillion approved for road and bridge projects across the South-East; including the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge access roads, as the primary reason for this growing support.
Umahi dismissed the current influence of the “Obidient” movement, describing the Southeast’s 2023 voting pattern as a product of “sentiment” that has now been replaced by a “recognition of performance.”
He claimed that all Southeast governors, regardless of their party affiliations, are now aligned with the president’s second-term ambition because of his commitment to national unity and equity. “The Southeast belongs to Tinubu, not Obidient,” Umahi stated, adding that the region is planning a massive political summit to officially endorse the President.
This projection represents a dramatic departure from the 2023 election results, where Peter Obi of the Labour Party won over 90% of the votes in the zone, while President Tinubu received less than 5%. Umahi has challenged critics and opposition leaders to a debate on the “tangible benefits” the region has received under the current administration compared to previous decades. He emphasized that the era of the Southeast playing “opposition politics” is over, as the people can now see the “workings” of the federal government in their own backyard.
