- President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appoints David Umahi as Deputy Director General in the APC 2027 campaign council
- In a message, Senator Umahi urged regional support for President Tinubu, tying infrastructure projects to his re-election
- The minister highlighted federal road improvements as crucial for agriculture and community development
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
FCT, Abuja – Ahead of the 2027 elections, President Bola Tinubu has appointed David Umahi, minister of works, to a role in the party’s 223-member presidential campaign council.
Legit.ng reports that Umahi was appointed Deputy Director General Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation.
Source: Twitter
The move confirms that campaigning for the January 2027 elections is already underway.
The ruling party is assembling its organisational structure in preparation for the contest.
Umahi urges re-election of Tinubu
Meanwhile, Umahi has called on residents of Ebonyi, Benue, Enugu, Cross River and other states to vote for President Tinubu in the 2027 elections, saying it is the surest way to ensure ongoing federal road projects in their areas are completed.
As reported by This Day, Umahi made the appeal during a weekend inspection of the Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Abuja Trans-Saharan Highway, describing the construction as evidence of Tinubu’s personal commitment to communities that federal infrastructure had long overlooked.
Why Umahi wants Tinubu re-elected
The minister stated that the project’s completion depended entirely on Tinubu remaining in office, arguing that no other candidate would bring the same level of dedication to it.
Tribune Online quoted Umahi as saying:
“By the end of 2031, which will be the end of President Bola Tinubu’s second tenure if he is re-elected, these projects and roads would have been fully completed. I commend the President very highly.”
Source: UGC
Umahi described President Tinubu‘s intervention as extraordinary, particularly for farming communities in Benue that had no federal roads linking them to wider markets.
The Ebonyi APC chieftain said:
“I think the President is a miracle to these communities because without this intervention, many of them would not have been able to move their agricultural produce, vehicles and machinery.”
Furthermore, he acknowledged the financial constraints facing the government but insisted that work was progressing across multiple locations, including Ibadan, Ijebu Ode and the Lagos coastal highway corridor.
Umahi calls for appreciation of Tinubu
The minister urged Nigerians in the affected states to publicly recognise the federal government’s efforts rather than take them for granted.
Umahi said:
“I want the public to appreciate what the president is doing. I appeal to the communities in Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River and other parts of the country to acknowledge and appreciate the federal government’s intervention.”
He also placed blame on past administrations for the alleged infrastructure gaps, saying earlier presidential action could have prevented the current backlog of neglected roads.
He added:
“If previous presidents had intervened in this manner, perhaps we would not be in the kind of situation we are facing today.”
Umahi said Tinubu had approved funding and released mobilisation payments for the Trans-Saharan corridor despite the government’s heavy project commitments, crediting the president for pushing ahead under difficult fiscal conditions.
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Umahi speaks on possibility of resigning
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Umahi vowed to resign if the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road project fails quality tests.
The former Ebonyi state governor declared his readiness to subject the work to independent testing.
The APC chieftain dismissed concerns about the contractor’s background, insisting that the focus should be on the quality of work delivered rather than perceptions.
Source: Legit.ng