Umahi Urges South-East to Back Tinubu in 2027, But Will Roads Deliver the Votes?

The message from Works Minister David Umahi is becoming increasingly direct: the South-East should vote for President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

Umahi argues that the region’s votes alone cannot make Peter Obi president and urged South-Easterners to support Tinubu. But Umahi’s argument is bigger than a campaign speech.

He is attempting to turn infrastructure into political capital. The minister has repeatedly pointed to federal projects across the region, including the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway and other major road projects, as evidence that the Tinubu administration is giving the South-East greater attention.

The Federal Ministry of Works has similarly highlighted the revival of long-delayed regional road projects as evidence of federal inclusion.

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ValidViewNetwork reports that this is a calculated political argument because the South-East has a complicated relationship with federal power.

For years, complaints about marginalisation have shaped political conversations in the region. Now the Tinubu administration is effectively presenting roads, connectivity and federal investment as part of its answer.

But there is a problem with assuming that roads automatically become votes.

Umahi has previously warned that the region could lose the benefits of federal projects if it does not support Tinubu. That framing may resonate with some voters, but it can also raise an uncomfortable question: should citizens support a president because projects are delivered, or should projects be delivered because citizens are citizens?

That distinction will matter in 2027.

Peter Obi remains a significant political force in the South-East, and Umahi has repeatedly challenged the assumption that the region belongs automatically to Obi.

Meanwhile, pro-Tinubu groups are already building grassroots structures, with one coalition recently announcing an ambition to mobilise millions of votes for the President across the region.

The battle, therefore, is no longer simply Tinubu versus Obi. It is becoming a contest over what the South-East considers political value; infrastructure, representation, identity, economic opportunity and the credibility of promises.

Umahi has put the roads on the table. The voters will decide whether they are worth a vote. ValidViewNetwork reports.