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Award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in a scathing open letter published on her verified X handle, has slammed Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, over his recent comment on South East presidency.
Umahi had in his recent remarks, stated that it was not yet the South East’s turn for presidency, “when it’s our turn, nobody will be more qualified than me”, he stated.
Adichie accused Umahi of political inconsistency. She recalled that “in 2020 Umahi defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the grounds that the PDP had refused to zone its presidential ticket to the South East. At the time, Umahi described his defection as a protest for the region.
“But five years have passed, and no South Easterner had emerged as president.
Now you you are telling us that ‘it is not yet our turn,’” she wrote.
In the lengthy post, Adichie argued that Umahi lacked the credibility to vie for the presidency, in contradisction with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
According to her, Obi has come to symbolize reform, fiscal discipline, and genuine concern for ordinary Nigerians, while Umahi is remembered mostly for “pouring concrete” and delivering substandard projects.
She further criticized Umahi’s record as Ebonyi governor, alleging that education, healthcare, pensions, and civil service welfare all collapsed under his administration.
She described the Ebonyi Mall as “a graveyard of failed promises” while the state’s airport was “still dormant three years after completion.”
“Leadership is not about glittering projects erected on shaky foundations; it is about systems that work—schools that function, hospitals that heal, pensioners who are paid, and workers who are treated with fairness. You failed at these,” Adichie stated.
Adichie concluded by warning that Umahi could not deliver votes for the APC in 2027 if Obi runs again. “Even in Ebonyi, should you contest against Peter Obi, the people will choose him over you. They will not be swayed by concrete,” she declared.:
“We will remind you, Senator Umahi, that in 2027 we remain Obidient.”
