The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed suggestions that the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, poses a political threat to President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Umahi, who spoke on Arise Television’s Daybreak Show, boldly asserted that the former Anambra State Governor “cannot even face me, let alone face President Bola Tinubu.”
His remarks came as the Tinubu administration continues to face sustained criticism over the economy and governance, with Obi remaining one of the president’s most vocal critics ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The minister maintained that neither he, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), nor President Tinubu has any reason to be scared of Obi’s political ambitions.
He described the massive online support structure surrounding Obi as “Artificial Intelligence (AI) politics,” driven more by hype than reality.
“Even 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. It is putting something on nothing.
“Nobody is scared of Peter Obi. He is not a threat to our president because Peter Obi himself knows very well that he cannot even face me, let alone face the president,” the minister said.
Umahi also turned his attention to Obi’s eight-year tenure as governor of Anambra State, arguing that the former governor lacked the moral authority to call on President Tinubu to resign.
“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.
He also accused members of the Obidient movement of being intolerant of opposing views, alleging that critics of Obi are often met with insults, threats and lawsuits.
According to the minister, “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? … 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 behaviour we want?”
He further challenged members of the Obidient movement to debate him on infrastructure and the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda, insisting the government’s record could withstand scrutiny.
On the economy, Umahi argued that the Tinubu administration inherited decades of structural challenges that could not realistically be reversed within three years, despite what he described as unrealistic expectations that the problems built up over more than six decades could be solved within that period.
“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.
“For those who are crying of hunger, put all the indices on the table. Is it road infrastructure? Is it education? Is it health? Which one has gone worse than how the president inherited it?
“When you are healing a wound, you don’t expect the wound to heal overnight. An economy doesn’t turn around instantly within three years,” Umahi said.
Arguing that President Tinubu deserved another term, Umahi said the administration’s reforms were beginning to deliver results and maintained that none of the opposition’s presidential hopefuls could match what he described as the president’s record.
“Let people be fair, rather than just speaking because they want power. None of the political aspirants or candidates from other parties can do what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is doing.
“There are a lot of successes and reforms that are beginning to yield a lot of dividends. None of them can do what this man is doing,” Umahi said.
