ADC Chieftain Rebuts Umahi on Igbo Integration

A prominent stakeholder in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and former APC deputy chairman in Enugu State, Comrade Adolphus Ude, has launched a blistering critique of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, over his recent assertions regarding the status of the Igbo people under the current administration. Ude’s reaction follows a series of comments made by the Minister during an inspection of federal infrastructure in the South East, where Umahi claimed that the region is now “comfortable and happy” with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inclusive governance.

Rejecting this narrative in a statement released on Tuesday, Ude described the Minister’s claims as misleading, selfish, and profoundly disconnected from the harsh realities facing the South East. While the Minister had suggested that the era of marginalization was over, Ude countered that the systemic exclusion of the Igbo people has actually worsened since May 2023, manifesting in both lopsided federal appointments and the inequitable distribution of landmark infrastructure projects.

The ADC chieftain, who currently coordinates the ADC Enugu Like Minds group, questioned the metric by which Umahi measured “inclusion.” He pointed out that the region remains conspicuously absent from the administration’s most ambitious multi-trillion naira infrastructure initiatives. Specifically, Ude noted that neither the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway nor the Sokoto-Badagry Highway touches any of the five South East states—Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Imo, and Ebonyi—even as a bypass. He challenged the Minister to compare the total monetary value of ongoing road works in the entire South East with the reported N3.9 trillion in projects approved for Lagos State alone over the last two years.

Furthermore, the statement highlighted the sluggish pace of inherited federal projects within the region. Ude lamented that vital arteries such as the Enugu-Port Harcourt, Owerri-Onitsha, and Enugu-Onitsha expressways remain unfinished. He specifically cited the Ninth Mile-Enugu-Makurdi Highway, which the Minister claimed had commenced in early 2024, yet the Enugu axis remains in a “decrepit state.” Ude dismissed the Minister’s frequent praise for concrete road longevity as a distraction from the lack of progress, stating that the focus should be on completion rather than hypothetical durability.

On the political front, the ADC leader argued that the South East continues to be treated as a secondary player in the federal cabinet. He drew a sharp contrast between Ogun State, which holds four ministerial positions, and the entire South East region, which was allocated only five. This imbalance, he argued, extends to the leadership of major federal parastatals and agencies, where the region is significantly underrepresented.

Ude emphasized that while his group remains committed to a united and indivisible Nigeria and does not support secessionist agitations, the government must recognize that peace is a product of equity, fairness, and justice. He cautioned Minister Umahi against making “unguarded utterances” that trade the long-term destiny of the Igbo people for short-term political favor, insisting that without balanced development, the root causes of regional agitation will persist.