Minister of Works David Umahi has intensified his war of words with Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate Peter Obi, insisting that he does not need to be a presidential candidate to challenge the former Anambra State governor on issues of infrastructure and governance.
Umahi made the remarks in a video circulated on Sunday, days after Obi declined his invitation to a public debate comparing their records as former governors and discussing the performance of the Federal Government on infrastructure.
Responding to Obi’s position that presidential debates should be reserved for presidential candidates, Umahi argued that seeking the presidency was not, in itself, an achievement.
“I don’t need to be a presidential candidate to educate you, as a professor in infrastructure, on what President Bola Tinubu is doing,” the minister said, maintaining that his experience as a former governor and current Minister of Works qualified him to engage Obi on the subject.
Umahi also asserted that his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election effectively places him on the governing ticket.
“When President Bola Tinubu is on the ballot, I’m on the ballot because I want this project to continue,” he said, adding that he remained willing to debate Obi directly.
The minister further accused Obi of misrepresenting ongoing federal road projects by visiting construction sites and portraying them as abandoned. He described such actions as “content creation” and “AI politics,” insisting that work was progressing on the projects under the Tinubu administration.
The latest exchange stems from Umahi’s earlier challenge to Obi to compare their respective records in office. Obi, during an interview with media entrepreneur Chude Jideonwo, rejected the invitation, saying debates should be between presidential candidates. He likened the situation to a football team that qualified for the FIFA World Cup being challenged by one that failed to qualify.
The disagreement reflects the growing political exchanges ahead of the 2027 general election, with both figures increasingly scrutinising each other’s records on governance and national development.
Umahi has repeatedly defended the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure agenda, while Obi has continued to criticise the government’s handling of the economy and public projects, making infrastructure one of the key areas of contention between the two politicians.
