Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said the South-East is enjoying greater political inclusion and federal attention under President Bola Tinubu compared with previous administrations.
Umahi made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he argued that the region had moved closer to the centre of federal decision-making under the current administration.
According to the former Ebonyi State governor, the South-East suffered prolonged marginalisation under former President Muhammadu Buhari, particularly in the distribution of key political appointments and federal projects.
“Service chiefs, we got none. Major ministerial portfolio, we got none. And so the marginalisation continued and even increased at that point,” Umahi said.
He noted that the situation had changed under Tinubu, pointing to the appointment of South-East politicians to prominent positions in the federal government.
“But now, the story is totally different. I’m a minister of works. We never had a minister of works before. We have a minister of foreign affairs,” he said.
Umahi also cited the appointment of a minister overseeing science and industry, describing the appointments received by the region as a sign of improved inclusion.
“We are very happy with the appointments we’ve gotten. We are very happy,” he added.
The minister said the South-East was not asking the federal government for preferential treatment but wanted fairness in the distribution of appointments, infrastructure and resources.
“We just want to be fairly treated,” Umahi said, while also commending the National Assembly for efforts towards the creation of an additional state in the South-East.
He further highlighted ongoing infrastructure projects as evidence of what he described as increased federal government attention to the region.
Umahi recalled that during his eight years as governor of Ebonyi State, he did not witness a federal government road or bridge project in the South-East.
However, he said the Tinubu administration had changed the situation through what he described as legacy infrastructure projects in the region.
Beyond infrastructure and appointments, Umahi urged people in the South-East to broaden their political engagement and avoid what he called regional politics.
“We shouldn’t play regional politics. It doesn’t help us. As a region, we should be able to, you know, have a handshake across the nation,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the region would give Tinubu significant support in the 2027 presidential election, saying he believes the president could win all five South-East states.
“The president is going to harvest a lot of votes in the South-East,” Umahi said.
“My faith is telling me we will win the five states. I’m working for it. I’m explaining to our people.”
The South-East currently has three states—Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi—under the control of the All Progressives Congress, while Abia is governed by the Labour Party and Anambra by the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
