“Calculated Ploy to Remove Him”: APC Chieftain Reacts As Reps Blast Umahi Over Bad Roads
- An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Dr Francis Chidozie Okoye, has reacted to the attack on the minister of works, David Umahi
- Okoye said Umahi has done well and he is one of the highly ranted ministers in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet
- Speaking with TheTalk.NG, Okoye said his group, Coalition of South East APC Support Groups, will not accept the calculated ploy to remove Umahi from office
TheTalk.NG journalist Adekunle Dada has over 5 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events
FCT, Abuja – Convener, Coalition of South East APC Support Groups, Dr Francis Chidozie Okoye, has described the attack on the minister of works, David Umahi, as a calculated attempt to remove him from office.
TheTalk.NG recalls that the House of Representatives committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) heavily lambasted Umahi over the deplorable state of the existing roads across Nigeria.
Okoye said his group will not accept any attempt to receive Umahi from office
Photo credit: David Umahi/Francis Chidozie OkoyeSource: Facebook
Aderemo Oseni, chairman of the committee, claimed that Umahi is getting his priorities wrong and questioned what was used as a “benchmark for his appraisal”
Reacting to Oseni’s outburst, Okoye said what played out at the house of reps committee was a calculated ploy against him.
He stated this during an exclusive chat with TheTalk.NG on Tuesday, October 29.
“You can see there is a calculated ploy, a calculated attempt from some people who don’t like the face of Umahi to remove him from Office. We will not accept it, particularly those from my group. The APC South East support group coalition, will not accept.
Okoye said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu appointed Umahi as minister because of his worth and track record. He added that Umahi has the approval of the President on the projects he is handling.
“Whatever Umahi has done as a minister of Works has the approval of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ahmed Bola Tinubu. So whoever is blaming him for constructing the Lagos-Calabar highway, using most of the funds that we are supposed to be used for other roads to construct that very road, is accusing him wrongly.”
Okoye added that:
“This is a calculated attempt to chase him out of office. Those who are close to Tinubu’s cabinet who do not like his face have taken major positions, and portfolios in this country.
“The only one that the Igbos have now, is the Minister of Works. They still want to chase them out of it. We will not accept it. My group will not accept it, and we condemn all actions leveled against him by this set of people who do not like his face. He’s doing well as a minister, and the President supports all his actions.”
Umahi rejects to submit fresh projects for 2025 budget
Meanwhile, TheTalk.NG reported that Umahi announced that the Ministry will not propose any new projects for the 2025 fiscal year.
The former Ebonyi state governor highlighted a substantial N16 trillion funding shortfall for over 4,000 ongoing projects inherited by the current administration.
He stated that the Ministry would only consider new projects for 2025 if directed by President Bola Tinubu.
Source: TheTalk.NG
