At God’s appointed time Igbo will take presidency for eight years, says Umahi

By Chris Ochayi

ABUJA: The Minister of Works, Engr. Sen. David Umahi says he was optimistic that at God’s appointment time a Nigerian President of an Igbo extraction will emerge and serve out two term of eight years.

Recall the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi has persistently promised to do a term of four years and quit, if elected president of Nigeria in 2027.

Engr. Umahi, while addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, disowned those seeking for one term presidency as not speaking the mind of the people of the South East geo-political zone on the burning agitation for the zone to produce President.

The Minister said that Igbo man is not going to take presidency for four years but for eight years like others.

According to him, “We will take presidency for eight years, like others, because everybody telling you that if we take presidency, they will quit after one tenure of four years.

“You know, the Bible says, at the time of God, it makes all things beautiful. You don’t abort a pregnancy, you know, at the middle of the pregnancy. So this is a pregnancy of APC whose time has come.

“And, you know, this reform must be allowed to be completed, you know, and Igbo man is not going to take presidency for four years.

“We will take presidency for eight years, like others, because everybody telling you that if we take presidency… And now, of course, it’s not, it’s a dream that cannot, you know, work. It’s an illusion.

“But you know, it is also good to have hope.You know, because without hope, life is not so good, those who are into illusion that they can take presidency from prison.

“It’s an illusion, and it’s hope that is keeping them alive. But it’s not a reality. It will not work, because there have been a lot of reforms, and those who have benefited from South East will not allow these projects that you know, being done by the President for the first time to be terminated.

“It can’t be abundant. So our time will come, and at time of God, he makes something beautiful. Just, believe me, that our time will come. You don’t fix time for God.

“He makes things beautiful. That is my answer. But the truth remains that, as an Igbo man, let us tell ourselves the basic truth if we all vote for evil man, you know, because I’m one of the most qualified in South East.

“I’m not saying I’m the most qualified, I’m one of the most qualified. I will give you account of my stewardship as a party chairman and chairman of board, as deputy governor, as governor, as Senator, as Minister.

“I will give you full load of activities, and you don’t need to go and say, arise.

“Let me tell you they were talking about what I did in Ebonyi State. You said that I created Dubai and people are hungry. How else do you make the people to eat? When there is recession in a nation, you have to spend on infrastructure, and that’s how people come out of the section.

“The idea of sharing money is good, but that’s not the basic way to teach our people how to catch a fish instead of giving them fish, so nobody can fold the hands and will not go hungry.

“Even my governor is doing it now. There are a lot of infrastructure activities. That’s the only way the people will participate. And when I finish, a lot of other state borrowed the people we have trained on infrastructure, the concrete roads.

“So and I stopped saying that I created Dubai that people are hungry. People were fed because there was no flight money. Everything was done by the people of Ebonyi State. So where did the money go in Ebonyi State? This is very important.”