The Minister of Works, David Umahi, on Tuesday brushed aside claims that Peter Obi is a political threat to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as attention shifts toward the 2027 elections.
His comments came as the Tinubu administration continues to face criticism over the economy and governance, with Obi remaining one of the president’s strongest critics ahead of the next presidential race.
Umahi said neither President Tinubu nor the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has any reason to fear Obi.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Daybreak Show, the minister said Obi’s political strength is based more on public hype than reality.
“Even 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. It is putting something on nothing. Nobody is scared of Peter Obi. He 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,” the minister said.
Umahi also questioned Obi’s eight years as governor of Anambra State, saying he had no moral right to ask President Tinubu to resign.
“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,” he said.
He also accused members of the Obidient movement of attacking those who disagree with Obi through insults, threats and court cases.
According to the minister, “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? … 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 behaviour we want?”
On the economy, Umahi said the Tinubu administration inherited long-standing structural problems that could not be fixed 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,” Umahi said.
He added that President Tinubu deserves another term, saying the administration’s reforms are beginning to produce results.
“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,” Umahi said.
