Minister of Works, David Umahi, has declared that he was divinely commissioned to reassure the people of the South-East that President Bola Tinubu holds genuine good intentions toward the region, continuing a running theme in his public commentary linking the president’s leadership to divine providence.

Umahi has repeatedly framed Tinubu’s administration in spiritual terms over the past year, insisting that the president was sent by God both to Nigeria as a whole and specifically to the South-East for the benefit of its people. He has pointed to federal infrastructure projects, particularly road construction across Ebonyi, Enugu and other South-East states, as tangible evidence backing up his claims.

According to the minister, the scale of attention the region has received under the current administration is unprecedented, and he has urged residents not to view the president’s efforts with suspicion.

The minister’s remarks form part of a broader campaign encouraging South-East leaders and citizens to throw their weight behind Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election. He has argued that the region’s political relevance has grown significantly under the president, citing his own appointment as Minister of Works alongside the naming of service chiefs from the South-East as proof that long-standing complaints of marginalisation no longer hold. Umahi has also maintained that strategic alignment with the federal government, rather than political isolation, is the surest path to further development for the zone.

His comments have consistently drawn attention and debate across Nigerian political circles, with critics questioning the frequent invocation of divine language to justify political loyalty, while supporters point to ongoing federal road projects in the South-East as evidence supporting the minister’s position. Umahi has brushed aside such criticism, insisting that his role is simply to inform Nigerians of what the administration is doing and to appeal to the South-East to reciprocate with support at the polls.