Umahi: Ebonyi Will Deliver 1.3Million Votes for Tinubu in 2027

Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, has pledged that the state will secure 1.3 million votes for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.

Umahi made the declaration on Monday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Ebonyi, where he reaffirmed the state’s support for Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

He urged residents to support the president, arguing that his administration had given the South-East greater recognition in national politics and development.

Umahi said the people of Ebonyi would prioritise Tinubu’s record over ethnic or regional sentiments, pointing to what he described as the president’s efforts to reconnect the state and the wider South-East with the rest of the country.

“Let me tell you, you say we are Wawa, yes, we agree, but it’s Tinubu we will follow. You say we are Abakaliki; yes, we accept, but it’s Tinubu we will follow,” he said.

“We are following a man who has remembered the people of Ebonyi, the man that has remembered south-east, the man that has integrated us,” he said.

The former governor also credited Tinubu with fulfilling commitments to the region following the Nigerian Civil War, particularly in the areas of reintegration and rehabilitation.

He described Tinubu as a leader who had given Ebonyi renewed attention and called on residents to support his bid for another term.

Umahi also expressed confidence in the political future of Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifuru, insisting that the APC would retain the governorship in the state.

He maintained that Nwifuru should complete two terms in office, adding that the party faced no serious challenge to its hold on the state.

“No other person can take the governorship from Ebonyi. Nwifuru must do his eight years. We have no contest in Ebonyi,” he said.

Describing Ebonyi as an APC stronghold, the minister said the party’s objective was not to defeat rival political parties but to secure 1.3 million votes for Tinubu.

Umahi added that the proposed vote target was intended to strengthen Ebonyi’s position in negotiations with the Government and help the state secure its share of national development opportunities.

“Ebonyi state will give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 1.3 million votes. We are not working to defeat any party because we have none to defeat,” Umahi said.

“But to give 1.3 million to Tinubu so that we can mount at the table of negotiation so that we can get all that we are supposed to get.”