ABAKALIKI, Nigeria — The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has rejected claims by the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, regarding alleged threats to his life, asserting that the opposition leader will remain alive to contest and lose the 2027 presidential election.
Umahi's remarks were made on Friday, July 10, 2026, during an official inspection tour of federal road projects across Ebonyi State. The minister was responding to a recent interview in which Obi alleged that his safety was compromised and expressed uncertainty over whether he would survive to participate in the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Characterizing Obi’s statements as a reflection of political frustration, the Works Minister insisted that no political actors or government officials have any interest in harming the former Anambra State governor. He noted that nobody wants Obi dead, describing the notion as entirely unreasonable, and added that the ruling party wants him alive to participate in the next election cycle and witness his own defeat once again.
Furthermore, the minister argued that Obi’s current anxieties stem from a misplaced belief that the South-East region remains a secure political stronghold for his party based on the outcomes of the previous general elections. Umahi dismissed the opposition's past performance in the region, labeling the 2023 electoral voting patterns in the South-East as a mere accident of history rather than a permanent political alignment.
