President Bola Tinubu has appointed Minister of Works David Umahi as Deputy Director General for Infrastructure, Mobilisation and Sensitisation in the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2027 presidential campaign council. The appointment, confirmed by Legit.ng, places Umahi within a 223-member campaign structure as the ruling party prepares for the January 2027 elections.
Umahi's Appointment and Campaign Council Structure
The move signals that the APC is already assembling its organisational framework for the upcoming electoral contest. Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, will oversee infrastructure-related mobilisation and sensitisation efforts as part of the council's broader strategy. The campaign council's size, at 223 members, reflects the party's intent to build a comprehensive election machinery well ahead of the polls.
According to This Day, Umahi has begun rallying support for Tinubu's re-election, urging residents of Ebonyi, Benue, Enugu, Cross River, and other states to vote for the president in 2027. He argued that re-electing Tinubu is the surest way to ensure ongoing federal road projects in those areas are completed.
Infrastructure as a Re-election Platform
Umahi made the appeal during a weekend inspection of the Cross River-Ebonyi-Benue-Abuja Trans-Saharan Highway. He described the construction as evidence of Tinubu's personal commitment to communities that federal infrastructure had long overlooked. The minister stated that the project's completion depended entirely on Tinubu remaining in office, arguing that no other candidate would bring the same level of dedication.
Quoted by Tribune Online, Umahi said: "By the end of 2031, which will be the end of President Bola Tinubu's second tenure if he is re-elected, these projects and roads would have been fully completed. I commend the President very highly."
Umahi described Tinubu's intervention as extraordinary, particularly for farming communities in Benue that had no federal roads linking them to wider markets. He added: "I think the President is a miracle to these communities because without this intervention, many of them would not have been able to move their agricultural produce, vehicles and machinery."
Call for Public Appreciation and Fiscal Context
The minister urged Nigerians in the affected states to publicly recognise the federal government's efforts rather than take them for granted. "I want the public to appreciate what the president is doing. I appeal to the communities in Benue, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River and other parts of the country to acknowledge and appreciate the federal government's intervention," Umahi said.
He also placed blame on past administrations for the alleged infrastructure gaps, saying earlier presidential action could have prevented the current backlog of neglected roads. "If previous presidents had intervened in this manner, perhaps we would not be in the kind of situation we are facing today," he added.
Umahi said Tinubu had approved funding and released mobilisation payments for the Trans-Saharan corridor despite the government's heavy project commitments, crediting the president for pushing ahead under difficult fiscal conditions. He acknowledged the financial constraints facing the government but insisted that work was progressing across multiple locations, including Ibadan, Ijebu Ode, and the Lagos coastal highway corridor.
Previous Statements and Quality Assurance
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Umahi vowed to resign if the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road project fails quality tests. The former Ebonyi governor declared his readiness to subject the work to independent testing. He dismissed concerns about the contractor's background, insisting that the focus should be on the quality of work delivered rather than perceptions.
The appointment and Umahi's public statements underscore the APC's early campaign preparations, with infrastructure development positioned as a central theme for Tinubu's re-election bid. The minister's calls for appreciation and his commitment to project completion are likely to shape the party's messaging in the affected regions leading up to the 2027 elections.
