TheCable

David Umahi, governor of Ebonyi, says Nigeria’s next president should be an engineer who will focus on building the country.

Umahi, who is a civil engineer, said an engineer can later hand over the country to core politicians at the end of the building process.

The Ebonyi governor spoke on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television.

Umahi, who is a presidential hopeful in the All Progressives Congress (APC), said his achievements in Ebonyi show what an engineer can do if given the opportunity to lead.

“Nigerians need to evaluate the kind of president they want to have. The state of our nation shows that we do not need core politicians to be the president. We are a developing nation, an engineer must be given the opportunity to build this country and then hand it over to politicians,” he said.

“The country is not built. The food is not yet done and it is when the food is done that the politicians will be invited to take over. I think an engineer, for the first time, should be given an opportunity.

“What I have done in Ebonyi shows what an engineer can do. I can say it anywhere; the country needs an engineer to build it and then the politicians can come and take over. Nigerians are tired of political promises.

“If you are looking for moneybags, I’m not there. If you are looking for someone who will share money, I’m not there, but if it is for performance, if it is for a man who has the fear of God, heart for the people and oneness of the country, I will tell you that I fit in at a very challenging moment like this.”

Speaking on the zoning of the presidency, Umahi said the clamour for southern presidency started with the mindset that the south-east region of the country will be the beneficiary.

“On the issue of zoning, you said there are four northern aspirants in the APC, I will say there is a conspiracy theory here. The entire southern governors and leaders, including the middle-belt leaders, came together and said for fairness, equity, and justice, the next president that should replace our dear President Muhammadu Buhari should come from the south,” Umahi said.

“I had said in my previous outings that everybody had in mind the south-east, because in the entire southern Nigeria, the south-east has never produced an elected president. I said publicly that the body language of Mr. President is to cede power to the south — that was the platform we started asking for this.

“When it appeared that the food was done, then we started having a lot of presidential aspirants from the south-south and south-west. My opinion is that if we do not consider the south-east in the quest for the southern presidency, then it becomes a conspiracy to blackmail the north. That is the way I feel.”