2027: I’ll meet Odii, ask him to step down for Nwifuru — Umahi

…Insists it’s not Ebonyi South’s turn to produce governor

By Godwin Okeh, Abakaliki

Minister of Works, David Umahi, has vowed to personally meet the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Chief Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, and ask him to step down from the 2027 governorship race in support of Governor Francis Nwifuru.

Umahi, a former governor of the state, also insisted that the governorship slot had not yet returned to Ebonyi South Senatorial District, which produced him as governor between 2015 and 2023.

The minister stated this on Tuesday while addressing prominent stakeholders from Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo Federal Constituency at Osborne Hotel, Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of the state.

Umahi said he would personally engage Odii at what he described as the appropriate time, stressing that the existing political arrangement in the state should be respected.

“I will be the one to go and talk to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ifeanyi Odii,” Umahi said.

He maintained that his position on the governorship contest was connected to the principle of political rotation in the state, arguing that Ebonyi South should wait for its turn after the completion of the current political cycle.

“When I say it is not the turn of the South-East to produce the President, I am likewise saying that it is not yet the turn of the people of Ebonyi South to govern the state,” he said.

The former governor said he would discuss the matter directly with Odii, whom he described as a fellow Ebonyian, rather than allowing political differences to divide the people of the state.

His comments come amid intensifying political activities ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with Governor Nwifuru expected to seek a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Odii is set to challenge the incumbent on the PDP platform.

Umahi has in recent days intensified his mobilisation for Nwifuru and the APC ahead of the 2027 elections. He recently declared that the PDP would not return to power in Ebonyi, while calling on residents to support Nwifuru’s re-election.

The minister also used the stakeholders’ meeting to emphasise the need for unity, fairness and collective interest in political decisions affecting Ebonyi State.

He urged political leaders and stakeholders to put the interest of the state above personal ambitions, while stressing that Ebonyi people should remain united despite political differences.

Umahi further described Ebonyi as a state with a strong tradition of integrity, honesty and commitment, urging its people to protect the state’s interests and support projects and policies that would promote its development.

The minister’s call for Odii to reconsider his governorship ambition comes against the backdrop of an increasingly intense debate over the zoning arrangement in Ebonyi. 

Supporters of the arrangement have argued that political power should rotate among the state’s major blocs, while opponents have called for competence and voters’ choice to take precedence over zoning.

Odii, who is from Ebonyi South, contested the 2023 governorship election on the PDP platform and is again the party’s candidate for the 2027 election.