The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed suggestions that the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate (NDC), Peter Obi, poses a political threat to President Bola Tinubu, saying the former Anambra governor “cannot even face” him, let alone the President.
Umahi made the remarks during an interview on ARISE Television’s Daybreak on Tuesday.
Political alignment ahead of the 2027 general election has seen Obi adopt 2023 New Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate.
The duo has been tagged as strong opposition for the ruling All Progressives Congress.
But the minister said neither Tinubu nor APC was worried about Obi’s political influence.
“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,” Umahi said.
The minister also criticised Obi’s tenure as governor of Anambra State, arguing that he 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.
Umahi further accused members of the Obidient movement of intolerance towards opposing views, alleging that critics of Obi were often subjected to insults, threats and lawsuits.
“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 said.
He also challenged members of the Obidient movement to debate him on infrastructure and the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda, insisting the government’s performance could withstand scrutiny.
Speaking on the economy, Umahi said the Tinubu administration inherited longstanding structural challenges that could not be resolved within three years.
“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,” he said.
Umahi argued that President Tinubu deserved a second term, saying the administration’s reforms were beginning to yield results.
“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,” he said.
