The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has said Peter Obi “can never be the best” presidential candidate from the South-East, defending political leaders from the region who support President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Umahi made the remarks in a Friday interview with ARISE News , arguing that Obi failed to adequately consult political leaders in the region before his presidential bid in the 2023 election.

“Peter Obi is not the best of our finest in South East. He’s not the best, he can never be the best,” Umahi said.

The former Ebonyi State governor said a presidential aspirant seeking to represent the South-East should consult governors and other political stakeholders in the region before pursuing the ambition.

“You cannot play politics in South East without consulting people like us,” he said.

Umahi said he would have consulted political leaders in the region if he had sought the presidency, arguing that an ambition carrying the expectations of an entire region should not be pursued in isolation.

“If I were contesting, I would have consulted,” he said.

He maintained that the South-East had other qualified political figures who could aspire to the presidency and challenged the suggestion that Obi should automatically be regarded as the region’s strongest candidate because of his performance in the 2023 election.

Umahi also questioned the argument that the presidency should automatically go to Anambra State if the South-East had an opportunity to produce Nigeria’s president.

He noted that Nigeria’s first President, Nnamdi Azikiwe, came from the area now constituting Anambra State, arguing that other states in the region should also be considered.

Umahi identified Ebonyi, Enugu, Abia and Imo as states that should have opportunities in any future discussions about producing a president from the South-East.

The minister’s comments came as he defended political leaders in the region who support Tinubu rather than Obi ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Umahi argued that the South-East’s path to the presidency depended on political negotiation and alliances with other parts of the country rather than support for a particular candidate being treated as a test of loyalty to the region.

He also rejected criticism of South-East political figures backing Tinubu, saying it was wrong to portray them as betraying the region because of their political choices.

The minister maintained that the region needed to build alliances across Nigeria if it wanted to produce a president, insisting that no single politician should be treated as its only viable presidential option.

Recall that in September, PUNCH Online had earlier reported that Umahi, speaking in Benin City, challenged comparisons with Peter Obi, saying he saw no area in which the former Anambra governor was superior to him.

He also said the South-East would eventually produce Nigeria’s president but insisted that “it is not yet our turn.”

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register, warning that the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission to display the list online could undermine confidence in the 2027 general election.

Atiku, in a statement on Thursday issued by the Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said Nigerians were entitled to inspect the register, challenge questionable entries and correct omissions before the election.

“INEC has announced more than 103 million registered voters. Nigerians went to its portal to inspect the names and found an empty page. That is an outrage. A figure cannot answer an objection. A press announcement cannot tell a voter whether her name has been omitted. Show Nigerians the register,” he said.

The electoral umpire had announced a seven-day public scrutiny exercise from October 9 to 15, during which registered voters were expected to inspect the preliminary register and raise objections to false entries or report omitted names.

Atiku, however, said the commission’s failure to make the register available online violated the Electoral Act 2026 and raised questions about the credibility of the process.

“I cannot recall a more brazen invitation to distrust the voter register. INEC announced a seven-day exercise and then failed to make the register available on the portal provided for public scrutiny,” he said.

He cited Section 19(1) of the Electoral Act 2026, which requires the register to be displayed at registration areas and online, and urged INEC to publish the list by local government, area council and ward.

The ADC presidential candidate in the 2027 election also demanded clarification over conflicting statements attributed to the commission’s chairman regarding the timing of the display.

“Worse still, INEC’s chairman reportedly said on October 5 that the public display had already been completed. Nigerians were subsequently told it would take place from October 9 to 15. Which statement is true? Where was the register published? For seven full days, or for no days at all?” he asked.

Atiku called on INEC to release the dates, links and access records relating to the alleged online publication.

He also raised concerns over the authentication of ballot papers, citing Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which permits a returning officer to count a ballot paper without INEC’s official mark if satisfied that it came from a book supplied to the polling unit.

“What evidence will establish that origin? Who will verify it, and how will parties challenge a false claim?

“INEC must set out enforceable safeguards against counterfeit ballots, and the National Assembly must close any loophole that leaves the authenticity of a vote to an officer’s unsupported assurance,” he added.

The statement also said INEC had yet to respond to inquiries about the companies awarded contracts to print sensitive election materials.

Atiku said the ADC and its presidential candidate were stakeholders in the presidential election and had the right to demand information about the procedures that would determine its credibility.

Atiku said the President Bola Tinubu administration could not conceal the voters’ register and expect Nigerians to trust the electoral process.

“You will not add an unseen voters’ register to their suffering and call it a route to another four years in office.

“You cannot hide their names from scrutiny and then ask them to trust the election conducted with that list. Nigerians have the right to inspect the register, challenge false entries and correct omissions. If that right is denied, we will challenge it in the open and through every lawful means available,” the statement further read.

He accused INEC’s conduct of creating room for manipulation by preventing voters from checking who had been added to or removed from the register and whether their own names remained on the list.

“That door must be shut now. Publish the register by local government, area council and ward. Explain the conflicting dates. Give voters the full opportunity the law provides to challenge false entries and restore omitted names,” he said.

Atiku also urged international partners, election observers and democratic institutions to press INEC to comply with the law before election day.

“Do not wait until election day to ask whether this contest is credible. Demand access to the voters’ register now. Ask how every ballot paper will be authenticated. Transparency before the vote is as essential as scrutiny of the results afterwards.

“The right to vote begins with the right to know that your name is on the list. INEC must stop hiding behind a blank screen. Publish the register. Open it to scrutiny. Answer the country,” he stressed.

Source: punchng.com

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