Human rights activist Maduabuchi Idam has said the promise by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to deliver Ebonyi State to President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is a political ruse.
Idam likened Umahi’s promise to an empty barrel of a gun making noise without shooting.
In a statement he signed, the constitutional lawyer said Umahi and the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, should provide functional healthcare facilities and electricity across the state before making such promises.
According to Idam:
“The promise of delivering Ebonyi State to President Tinubu is a political ruse, almost like an empty-barrelled gun that makes a loud noise without firing a shot.
“There is no convincing dividend of governance to justify such an expectation. No one sings the Lord’s song in a strange land.
“Umahi and Nwifuru should begin by providing functional primary healthcare facilities and addressing the persistent electricity challenges in Afikpo and other communities across Ebonyi State.
“Governance must first be felt by the people before political loyalty in the form of votes can reasonably be demanded of them.
‘Otherwise, the disappointment at the polls may be louder than the chants in the stadium.
“Amasiri needs a functional primary healthcare centre and the release of its people who are being maliciously prosecuted, while Afikpo in general needs a reliable electricity supply.”