Minister of Works, David Umahi, has accused former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, of initiating their public disagreement, insisting that the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate confronted him first at a construction site.
Umahi made the allegation during an interview with Arise News, where he described Obi’s alleged criticism of him at the site as unfair.
According to the minister, he did not initiate the exchange but responded after Obi allegedly approached him while he was working and publicly criticised him.
“I did not criticise Peter Obi; he started the confrontation by coming to the construction site where I was working and publicly castigating me. I consider that very unfair,” Umahi said.
The former Ebonyi State governor explained that his subsequent comments about Obi were a reaction to what he described as the former presidential candidate’s tendency to condemn others.
“I only said that when you continually condemn others, you bring judgment upon yourself,” he added.
Umahi also criticised Obi over an alleged remark by one of his supporters comparing the former Anambra governor’s electoral popularity with that of Jesus Christ.
The minister said he expected Obi to publicly distance himself from the comment, which he considered disrespectful to the Christian faith.
“One of them reportedly said that even if Jesus contested in an election, Peter Obi would win. That is an affront to our faith, and I expected Peter Obi to speak out against such a statement,” Umahi said.
The minister’s latest comments come amid his criticism of Obi’s suitability for the presidency, arguing that the South-East has other political figures capable of pursuing the nation’s highest office.
Umahi had previously dismissed the suggestion that Obi represented the best presidential option the region could produce.
“Peter Obi is not the best of our finest in South-East,” he said.
“He’s not the best; he can never be the best.”
He maintained that his criticism was not driven by personal animosity towards Obi but by his conviction that the South-East has other qualified individuals who could aspire to the presidency.
