Loading ...ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has launched a blistering personal counter-attack against the Presidential Candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, declaring that “nobody is afraid” of the opposition leader or his digital media machinery.
Addressing journalists and political stakeholders at a federal infrastructure briefing in Abuja, the former Ebonyi State Governor directly dismissed opposition criticisms of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration’s infrastructure efforts. Defying ongoing social media backlash, Umahi boldly asserted that he is fully qualified to handle any intellectual challenge from Obi, daring the NDC candidate to step away from online commentary and face him in a live, televised infrastructure debate.
The Battle Over Road Infrastructure
The friction between the two South-East political heavyweights exploded after Peter Obi utilized digital platforms to publish a detailed series of images and video clips exposing severely dilapidated federal roads across the country. Obi used the graphic evidence to argue that the current administration is wasting immense public resources on massive new mega-projects while leaving existing economic corridors to rot.
Umahi flatly rejected the criticism, claiming that Obi is intentionally exploiting the country’s long-standing, past infrastructural deficits to score cheap political points ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.
“Deceit cannot win Nigeria’s presidency,” Umahi stated emphatically, targeting Obi’s political ambitions. “Nobody is afraid of Peter Obi. I am challenging him to an open, live public debate on road infrastructure. Let us put our achievements and technical understandings on the table for all Nigerians to see, rather than sitting online to incite people.”
Clashes Over Coastal Highway Priorities
The minister’s resentment also stems from Obi’s fierce, vocal opposition to massive capital developments, including the highly controversial Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. Obi has repeatedly slammed the multi-trillion naira development as a misplacement of national priorities given Nigeria’s current hyper-inflation and massive debt profile.
During a tense stakeholders meeting held to address compensation for property owners affected by the highway layout, Umahi claimed that Obi was actively trying to set the South-East region against the federal government by misrepresenting the economic impacts of the project.
Obi swiftly fired back, clarifying that during his own tenure as governor of Anambra State, he systematically cleared structures blocking public rights-of-way, but always prioritized the direct repair and maintenance of existing infrastructure to safeguard livelihoods and ensure the efficient use of public funds.
Defending the Villa Against Critics
Umahi reiterated that his loyalty to President Tinubu’s vision remains total, noting that he is fully prepared to act as the administration’s frontline political shield against any opposition figure trying to downplay the ongoing construction boom. He brushed off criticisms from social media commentators who have pointed out massive failure points along key corridors like the Benin-Auchi axis, promising that federal contractors are being aggressively monitored.
As political groups begin aligning structures for the 2027 presidential election, civic groups note that Umahi’s aggressive dare has raised the stakes. If Obi accepts the challenge for a live, unscripted infrastructure debate, the resulting encounter could serve as a defining intellectual battleground for the next electoral cycle.
