The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed claims that he has been attacking supporters of Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, insisting his recent political comments were aimed solely at persuading voters in the South-East to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
Umahi made the clarification in a video interview shared on Facebook by Alex Oguta on Friday, responding to criticism from members of the Obidient Movement and addressing calls for a public debate with Senator Adams Oshiomhole over the condition of a federal highway.
The former Ebonyi State governor said the backlash from Obi’s supporters did not bother him, arguing that the reactions suggested his message was reaching its intended audience.
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“I saw what they said to me; they have been insulting me, but you know, I enjoyed this honestly, because it shows that what I’m doing is touching them,” Umahi said.
He acknowledged that some Obidients had expressed their disagreements respectfully but insisted he was not attacking anyone.
“I say no, I’m not attacking people. I’m asking people in South-East and Nigeria not to vote for him, to vote for President Bola Tinubu. And I have my facts,” he said.
Umahi also declined calls for a public debate with Adams Oshiomhole, describing the former Edo State governor as a respected colleague and friend.
According to the minister, the disagreement centres on the Lokoja-Benin-Warri federal highway, which he said was awarded in 2018 but remained largely incomplete.
He maintained that he was not criticising Oshiomhole but drawing a comparison with his own record of executing federal road projects while serving as governor of Ebonyi State.
The remarks come as political conversations intensify ahead of the 2027 general election, with senior APC figures increasingly making the case for President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
