Minister of Works, David Umahi, has dismissed Peter Obi’s political influence, saying the former Anambra State governor is no threat to President Bola Tinubu or the All Progressives Congress.
Umahi, who spoke during a television interview on Tuesday, said claims that the ruling party is afraid of Obi were baseless.
He described the support around Obi as “AI politics,” insisting that neither Tinubu nor the APC had any reason to be worried about him.
“Even me, I cannot be scared of Peter Obi, not to talk about President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or our party, the APC,” Umahi said.
“What displays around Peter Obi is AI politics. You know, it’s AI politics. It is putting something on nothing. So, nobody is scared of Peter Obi.
“Peter Obi 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 also attacked Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, questioning what he achieved while in office.
Umahi said he had read reports that Obi called on Tinubu to resign, but argued that the former governor had no moral ground to make such a demand.
“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.
Umahi also accused the Obidient movement of being intolerant of opposing views.
According to him, supporters of Obi often resort to insults, threats and abuse whenever people disagree with them.
“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?” he said.
The minister said such conduct raised questions about political temperament and the kind of leadership being presented by Obi’s camp.
“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 behavior we want?” Umahi asked.
He challenged members of the Obidient movement to debate him on infrastructure and the reforms of the Tinubu administration.
Umahi said no opposition figure could match what Tinubu was doing, especially in the area of reforms and national development.
Responding to concerns about hardship and rising poverty, the minister said Tinubu inherited serious economic problems that could not be solved overnight.
According to him, Nigerians should be fair in assessing the administration, arguing that the damage of many years could not be corrected 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,” Umahi said.
He said the economy needed time to recover, comparing the process to the healing of a wound.
“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. Nigerians expected that all the wrongs of over 60 years would be addressed in three years,” he said.
Umahi insisted that Tinubu deserved re-election because his reforms were already producing results.
He said those criticising the administration were doing so because they wanted power, not because they had better solutions.
“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,” he said.