Umahi: Peter Obi is No Threat to Tinubu

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has rejected claims that former presidential candidate Peter Obi is a political threat to President Bola Tinubu. He said Obi “cannot even face” him, let alone the President.

Umahi spoke during an interview on ARISE Television’s Daybreak on Tuesday.

As the 2027 general election approaches, Obi has teamed up with 2023 New Nigeria Peoples Party presidential candidate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

Together, they are seen as a strong opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). But Umahi said neither Tinubu nor the APC is 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 took a swipe at Obi’s time as Anambra State governor, saying he does not have the moral right to call for President Tinubu’s resignation.

“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 claimed that the Obidient movement shows intolerance to opposing views. He said critics of Obi face 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 challenged members of the Obidient movement to debate him about infrastructure and the Tinubu administration’s reform plans, insisting the government’s work can stand up to scrutiny.

On the economy, Umahi said the Tinubu administration is dealing with long-standing structural issues that cannot be fixed in three years.

“The darkest part of the night is the dawn. There were so many practices by the previous administration that brought us to where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is now.

“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 deserves a second term, saying the administration’s changes are starting to show 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.