A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ayiri Emami, has called on President Bola Tinubu to remove the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, from office before the 2027 general elections.
Emami accused Umahi of failing the people of the South-South, particularly over the condition of federal roads across the Niger Delta.
The APC chieftain described the minister as a “disaster” to the region, arguing that the poor state of the highways was discouraging residents and motorists.
Emami made the remarks in a video shared on social media while lamenting the deterioration of roads linking communities across the region.
He said the Federal Government needed to urgently address the condition of the roads ahead of the 2027 elections.
“When you place the right people in the right position they will know what to do especially somebody who comes from where there are issues,” he said.
“The only problem that I have is Umahi, I don’t know where my father (Tinubu) brought him from.
“Umahi is like somebody that hates us in the South South. I’m not a lifestyle politician, I love to travel by road.”
Emami said he frequently travelled by road between Warri and Lagos and had noticed the worsening condition of the highways.
According to him, the state of the roads had also affected his ability to travel to Oshiomhole’s retreat centre, where he said he usually went to meditate and reflect.
He further blamed the poor roads for potential damage to vehicles he had recently purchased.
“All the cars I recently purchased will start developing issues due to lack of proper usage and who is the cause, it’s Umahi,” Emami said.
The APC chieftain urged Tinubu to take action against Umahi before the 2027 election, insisting that the minister’s continued stay in office could further alienate voters in the South-South.
“Tinubu should act fast about Umahi before the election, Umahi is now a disaster in the South South, I say it as it is,” he said.
Emami further suggested that the Ministry of Works should be merged with the Federal Capital Territory administration, which is headed by Nyesom Wike.
“Umahi is trying to discourage people, if he’s no longer interested in his work, he should leave and Tinubu should add it to Wike’s ministry,” he said.
“The Ministry of Works should be added to the Federal Capital Territory so that the two can be under Wike.”
His comments come amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition and ruling-party figures increasingly trading criticisms over governance and political strategy.
Meanwhile, the APC has criticised the Vice Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Kwankwaso, over his appeal to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to withdraw from the 2027 presidential race and support the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, questioned the opposition’s confidence in negotiating over the presidency before Nigerians decide who will occupy the office.
Morka, in a social media post, accused opposition politicians of engaging in hypocrisy and “horse trading” over an office they had not won.
“At last, the veil comes off behold the whited sepulchre. They pretend to be saints on the outside but filled with stench of corruption and malignant hypocrisy on the inside,” he wrote.
Kwankwaso had appealed to Atiku to shelve his presidential ambition and support the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket, citing the former vice-president’s age and health.
He also said Atiku would be taken care of if the opposition coalition succeeds in winning the 2027 presidential election.
