Abuja, Nigeria — Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will make significant gains in Nigeria’s South-East during the 2027 presidential election, predicting that the party could win all five states in the region.
Umahi made the declaration during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he discussed the APC’s prospects in the South-East and the party’s expected performance ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to the minister, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will receive substantially more support from voters in the region than the APC secured during the 2023 presidential election.
“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,” Umahi said.
More Read
When asked whether he believed the APC could secure victories in all five South-East states — Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo — Umahi gave an optimistic response.
“My faith is telling me we’ll win the five states,” he said.
The minister also dismissed suggestions that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate and a prominent political figure from the South-East, could pose a major threat to President Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 election.
More Read
Umahi argued that Obi would not be the only presidential contender from the region, noting that several other candidates are expected to participate in the 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,” he said.
He added that there were other presidential candidates, including a female contender, suggesting that the presence of multiple candidates could affect the distribution of votes in the region.
“Peter Obi is not a threat as far as I am concerned,” Umahi said.
South-East Becomes Key Battleground
Umahi’s comments come as political parties and presidential hopefuls intensify preparations for the 2027 general election.
More Read
The South-East is expected to remain a significant political battleground, particularly following the strong support Peter Obi received in the region during the 2023 presidential election.
The APC’s challenge will therefore be to substantially increase its support across the five states, while opposition parties and presidential contenders seek to consolidate their own political bases.
Umahi’s prediction that the APC could win all five South-East states represents a major political claim and sets the stage for what could become a closely watched contest in the region ahead of 2027.
With political realignments, campaigns and coalition-building expected to intensify in the months ahead, the South-East could play an important role in shaping the outcome of the next presidential election.
