Umahi Says He Could Be First President Of Nigeria From South East

By Charles Igbo

The Minister for Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, has dashed the hope of the likelihood of a Nigerian of South-east extraction becoming Nigeria’s President within the next 12 years – beginning  from 2027.

The Minister dashed this hope, and, therefore, rubbished the efforts being currently made by Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, when he said, on Saturday, that he might be the first South Easterner to become Nigeria’s President when the time comes.

Umahi spoke when he received in audience, the Minister for Information, Mohammed Idris and his team who paid him a courtesy call at his Ebonyi State country home. Idris and his team are on a tour  of Federal Government’s projects countrywide.

While addressing them, Umahi said the South-east would produce Nigeria’s President at God’s own time. For the Zone to produce the President, Umahi, also, said the region has to “re-engage” and support others so that at God’s approved time, other Zones will support it.

“We have to support other regions, and at the time of God, nobody will stop it.” Then, remembering his long time ambition,  he added: “And, who knows, you know, whether that time, it will be me.”

Given that Umahi is campaigning for Tinubu’s second term against 2027, if Tinubu gets it, his term will end in 2031. And given APC’s zoning arrangement, it means the Presidency will go back to the North in 2031, and will likely be there till 2039. Which, perhaps, all things being equal, is when Umahi feels a South-easterner, possibly himself, if God wills it, could be President.

Umahi has harboured a Presidential ambition for a long time. In the early years of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Chief Arthur Eze, every Nigerian President’s friend, had suggested, and publicly recommended Umahi to him as his (Buhari’s) successor. And then, of course, Umahi, according to him, defected to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while serving his second term as Governor, because he said the PDP was not forthcoming on whether it would zone the Presidency to the South-east or not. He was, also, very visibly angry when Peter Obi in 2019, was chosen as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate. He said as the Chairman of the South-east Governor’s  Forum, he was not consulted nor was it discussed.

In 2023, Umahi contested for the Presidential ticket of the APC against Tinubu. He, however, failed woefully, but thereafter, wholeheartedly worked for Tinubu’s victory.

For his efforts, he was rewarded with the position the Minister for Works, the first time somebody of South-east extraction would occupy the office.

In 2039 when the Presidency, under the APC, would rotate to the South again, Umahi, 63 years old now, will be 76 – not too comfortable an age to be President.