Umahi Disputes Claims Obi Outranks Him, Says Presidency Not Yet Igbo Turn

Minister of Works Dave Umahi has rejected suggestions that he is not on the same level as Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC). Speaking in Benin City on Thursday, September 24, Umahi said there is no field in which Obi can be regarded as superior to him, saying their family backgrounds, intellectual capacity and service records can be compared. Umahi objected to the claim that Obi was not his match. He said he spent ten minutes considering whether such a comparison could be defended by their family backgrounds, intellectual abilities, contributions to the South-East, or their records as governors. He asked that the two be placed side by side and challenged anyone to tell him "what Peter Obi is better than this Dave Umahi." He also said, "You cant be tackling counsel without knowledge." On the presidency, Umahi said "it is not the turn of Igbos yet." He said he heard a charlatan that day claim that "the Igbos can never be president," and he insisted that person would not be alive when an Igbo eventually becomes president. Igbos will one day hold the office, he said, but the current turn belongs to "President Bola Ahmed Tinubu."