Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has expressed confidence that President Bola Tinubu will secure re-election in the 2027 presidential election, attributing his optimism to his belief in God and his experience working closely with the President.

Umahi made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he said Tinubu assumed office at a particularly difficult period and had faced several challenges since becoming President.

The minister said his close working relationship with Tinubu had given him an opportunity to observe what he described as the President’s good intentions and concern for the country.

“I have faith in God that the President will return because he came at a very challenging period. All manner of obstacles were thrown in his way, but power belongs to God,” Umahi said.

He added that Tinubu had never instructed him to allocate government jobs to particular individuals.

“I have worked very closely with him. I have seen his good heart, I have seen his good intentions, and I’m telling you that the President has never asked me to give jobs to this or that person,” he said.

Umahi also addressed claims concerning the distribution of government projects in the Southeast. He said he once presented the President with a document after being informed that he had awarded jobs to people from the region.

According to him, about 95 per cent of the projects in question involved contractors who had inherited the projects, stressing that performance remained the determining factor regardless of the identity of the contractor.

The minister further expressed optimism about the All Progressives Congress (APC) securing victories in the five Southeast states during the 2027 elections.

While acknowledging that he could not definitively state whether the party would win all five states, Umahi said he expected Tinubu to receive substantial support from the region.

“I will not tell you whether we will win the five votes of the Southeast or not, but the President is going to harvest a lot of votes in the Southeast. My faith is telling me we will win the five states,” he said.

Umahi also called for an approach to politics that cuts across regional boundaries, arguing that excessive emphasis on regional interests does not benefit the country.

“We shouldn’t play regional politics because it doesn’t help us. As a region, we should be able to have a handshake across the Niger,” he added.