Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed suggestions that the ruling All Progressives Congress is worried about the growing political profile of Peter Obi, insisting that the former Anambra State governor poses no threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Umahi described Obi’s popularity as “AI politics,” arguing that it is driven more by perception than political substance.
“Even me, 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. You know, it’s AI politics. It is putting something on nothing. So, nobody is scared of Peter Obi. Peter Obi 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,” he stressed.
The minister also questioned Obi’s performance during his tenure as governor of Anambra State, alleging that he failed to address critical infrastructure and development challenges while in office.
“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.”
Umahi further accused members of the Obidient movement of intolerance toward opposing views, claiming that critics of Obi are often subjected to attacks and threats.
“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? You know, so it means that you don’t even have a good temperament.
“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 behavior we want? So, nobody is afraid of Peter Obi. So, I can assure you that nobody is afraid of Peter Obi. And I’ve said to the Obidient movement, any of them can debate with me in terms of the infrastructural development of the country and all the good indices of the reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. No one,” he reiterated.
Defending the Tinubu administration against criticism over economic hardship and rising poverty, Umahi argued that the President inherited decades of structural economic problems that could not be solved within three years.
“The darkest part of the night is the dawn. There were so many practices by the previous administration that occasioned us into what President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inherited.
“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. Nigerians expected that all the wrongs of over 60 years would be addressed in three years.”
The minister maintained that the administration’s reforms are beginning to produce tangible results and argued that no opposition figure has demonstrated the capacity to outperform the President.
“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 stressed.
