Minister of Works Dave Umahi has predicted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will make significant gains in the South-East in the 2027 presidential election, saying President Bola Tinubu will secure far more support in the region than the party did in the last election.
Umahi spoke during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he discussed the APC’s prospects in the region and its chances of improving on its 2023 performance.
“I will not tell you whether we win the five votes of the South-East or not, but the President is going to harvest a lot of votes in the South-East. It can never be the same like it was before,” he said.
Asked specifically how many of the five South-East states he believed the APC could win, Umahi said he expected the party to take all of them.
“My faith is telling me we’ll win the five states,” he said.
Umahi also dismissed the suggestion that Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), poses a threat to Tinubu or the APC ahead of the 2027 election.
“By the way it is not only Peter Obi that is from the South-East that is contesting. We have about three or four other presidential candidates who are contesting.
“We have the Labour Party and I think there are other two, even a woman is involved. So, Peter Obi is not a threat as far as I am concerned,” Umahi said.
The minister’s comments come as political parties and presidential contenders intensify preparations ahead of the 2027 general election, with the South-East expected to remain a key battleground.