Minister of Works, David Umahi, has urged residents of Ebonyi State to use their votes to oppose the presidential ambition of a former governor who is seeking support in the state ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi made the call while addressing people of Ebonyi State in a video that has circulated widely on social media. Although he did not name the former governor in the remarks quoted below, his comments were apparently directed at Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State.
The minister questioned Obi’s relationship with Ebonyi State and challenged him to identify any indigene of the state whom he appointed during his tenure as Anambra governor.
“When you were a governor, give me one Ebonyi person that you gave an appointment. When they removed Abakaliki Street that had been there for over fifty years, you said nothing.
“It’s only when it comes to votes that they say we Ebonyi people are one with other states in the South East. But when it comes to insulting us, they insult us. We are not second-class citizens. We are proud Ebonyi people” Umahi stated.
Umahi also accused political actors from outside Ebonyi of remembering the people of the state primarily when they need electoral support. He urged Ebonyi voters to respond through their ballots, framing the appeal as a rejection of what he described as discrimination against the state within the wider Igbo community.
“Use your votes to fight. We will not go back to Egypt. We say no to second colonization. God has freed us. We have a state of our own. We are celebrating 30 years of freedom and nobody will take us back to Egypt. What happened before was an accident of history. It will not repeat itself. Now you know better’’
The minister further maintained that Ebonyi’s creation as a state had given its people a distinct political identity and argued that residents should not allow themselves to be treated as subordinate members of the South-East.
His remarks come as political activity and mobilisation ahead of the 2027 presidential election continue to intensify, with politicians seeking support across states in the South-East and other parts of the country.
