BY EMMA PETER, ABUJA
The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has called on political, traditional and religious leaders in Ebonyi State to take greater responsibility for shaping the political direction of the state and the country, insisting that active participation in politics is essential to securing development and influencing national decisions.
Umahi made the appeal on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at a town hall meeting with Ebonyi stakeholders organised by the Directorate of Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation of the 2027 APC Presidential Campaign Council at the Christian Ecumenical Centre, Abakaliki.
The gathering culminated in a unanimous endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, for re-election in 2027, with stakeholders pledging to mobilise support for all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a press statement issued on Wednesday, November 4, by Francis Nwaze, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Works on Media, the meeting was attended by serving and former senators, members of the State House of Assembly, former and serving commissioners, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) leaders, traditional rulers, presidents-general and other influential stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Umahi challenged traditional rulers, particularly in the Southeast, to reconsider their position on political involvement, arguing that community leadership and political participation were closely connected because both had implications for peace, development and the welfare of the people.
He maintained that traditional institutions could not afford to remain indifferent to political developments when decisions taken by elected leaders directly affected their communities.
“It is only in the Southeast that our traditional fathers will say they don’t play politics. Politics is about democracy; it is about development, and our traditional fathers are about development. They are about making the right choices,” he said.
The Minister also urged religious leaders to extend their influence beyond the pulpit by participating in conversations that determine the quality of leadership and governance.
According to him, remaining silent in the face of political developments could undermine the opportunity to influence decisions that affect society.
“If the religious leaders only stay on their pulpit to tell us what we are not doing right, they are missing it. They have to be part of the foundation of our leaders. And they say that the only way for evil to thrive is for good men to keep quiet,” Umahi stated.
Reflecting on the political experience of Ebonyi State, the Minister said the people needed to overcome political silence and develop a common position on issues affecting their collective interests.
He insisted that the state had reached a point where its people must consciously determine the political direction they wanted to follow rather than allow sentiments to undermine their aspirations.
“We have kept quiet so much as Ebonyi people. So, the essence of our coming is: choose you this day the path that we should follow. We are not going to express sentiments here. We are people that God has liberated,” he declared.
Umahi further argued that political freedom and development could only be sustained through deliberate choices and collective action, stressing that communities must speak up to secure opportunities and benefits due to them.
“You can’t keep quiet and be able to get that which belongs to you. We have been liberated, but the choice to be free is in our hands. And no matter the sentiments, the future of Ebonyi State is in the hands of Ebonyi people,” he added.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (Southeast), Hon. Chioma Nweze, Esq., called for political unity among the people of the Southeast, saying the region needed to strategically deploy its voting strength to improve its influence in national affairs.
Nweze argued that the region’s inability to consistently align its votes with the winning political platform had weakened its bargaining position and limited its capacity to influence decisions at the federal level.
“As Southeast people, our votes can only swing in our favour if we vote in a bloc. We have always negotiated from outside the room because we don’t vote for the winning party, and marginalisation is hard to fix from outside the room,” she said.
She urged the people to embrace a more coordinated political approach that would enable the region to participate directly in decisions affecting appointments, development and national resource allocation.
“We have to be able to take our seats. We have to have a voice inside when decisions are taken. We have to have the leverage to ask for more if we can go to the centre and say, these are the votes we bring; we need more appointments,” she added.
The endorsement of Tinubu and Nwifuru followed a motion moved by Senator Julius Ali Ucha, who said Ebonyi State had benefited from the current administration, particularly through the appointment of Umahi as Minister of Works.
Ucha observed that the responsibility entrusted to Umahi had provided Ebonyi with an opportunity to contribute to national development, noting that the state should consolidate on the political opportunities available to it.
He consequently moved that eligible voters and political leaders in Ebonyi adopt the APC and support all its candidates, including President Tinubu, Governor Nwifuru, National Assembly members and State House of Assembly candidates, in the 2027 general elections.
Seconding the motion, Senator Anthony Agbo described Umahi as an outstanding political figure whose achievements and resilience had brought pride to Ebonyi State and demonstrated the leadership capacity of the Igbo people.
“Senator David Umahi, you are a phenomenon. You are a mighty man. There is no political weather that is shaking you anywhere. You have displayed that primordial traits of the Igbo person that distinguishes an Igbo man, and through you, people have come to understand what an Igbo man can do in leadership,” Agbo said.
He also commended the Minister for remaining steadfast despite political opposition, arguing that his record in public service had established him as a prominent figure in the country’s political landscape.
“Everybody wants to be like you, and those who cannot be like you must attack you. But I tell you, your personality has grown so mighty that it has become so impervious to the blunt teeth of the opposition. So, I commend you. You are a great and mighty son of this state, and you have made us proud by doing what the Napoleons could not do in the history of this country,” he declared.
Agbo added that Umahi’s contributions to national development would remain part of Nigeria’s political history, irrespective of prevailing political differences, before formally seconding the motion.
Responding to the endorsement, Umahi urged the stakeholders to move beyond declarations of support and translate their resolution into grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
He declared that Ebonyi State would massively support Tinubu’s re-election to enable the President complete his constitutionally permitted eight-year tenure, while also ensuring the completion of ongoing federal projects in the state, the commencement of new ones and the attraction of additional federal appointments.
The Minister equally endorsed Governor Nwifuru for a second term, while expressing his position that the next governor should come from the North Senatorial Zone and be Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to complete eight years in office.
Umahi stressed that the political resolution reached at the meeting must extend beyond the venue of the gathering, calling on stakeholders to take the message to households, communities and grassroots political structures across the state.
“That Ebonyi State will massively vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to complete his eight years in office and for all the projects in Ebonyi State to be completed and for new ones to be initiated, and for more appointments to Ebonyi State,” he declared.
He further stated: “That the next Governor of Ebonyi State shall come from the North Senatorial Zone and shall be Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru to complete his eight years. That we will take this message from door to door, that Ebonyi State is APC and we will vote all APC candidates from top to bottom.”
The resolution received overwhelming support from participants, who affirmed the motion with applause and ovations, signalling their commitment to the APC’s political mobilisation efforts ahead of the 2027 general elections.
