The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology and member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term, saying his administration has placed Nigeria on a path towards economic recovery and development.
Udeh made the argument during a recent interview on Arise News Prime Time, while responding to questions on the 2027 presidential election and the argument that the presidency should remain in the South.
The minister, who is from the South-East, acknowledged that he would want the presidency to go to the region at a particular time but said winning the presidency ultimately depended on engagement across Nigeria’s regions and votes from Nigerians.
Asked why the South-West should retain the presidency when other southern regions, particularly the South-East, had not produced a president since 1999, Udeh said political actors would always advance arguments favourable to their candidates or parties.
“Anytime there’s an election in the states at the national level, everybody that is interested would project an argument that will favor his candidacy, or her candidacy, or her party, or his party. Right? But at the end, it is Nigerians that would vote.”
Asked what argument the APC was advancing for President Tinubu’s re-election, Udeh said the president was still in his first term and had initiated reforms that were beginning to produce positive results.
“Well, it is that Mr. President is in his first term, and has started reforms that are beginning to make a positive impact in the lives of Nigerians. It is not yet fully realized, but you can even tell that we are no longer as bad as we were in 2023, 2024.”
Udeh cited Nigeria’s economic growth, saying the country had moved from about two percent growth in 2023 to about four percent currently.
He also argued that increased revenue available to sub-national governments was creating opportunities for states and local governments to undertake development projects.
Responding to a challenge that economic growth had not necessarily translated into improved living standards for ordinary Nigerians, the minister acknowledged that inflation and hardship remained.
“Like I said, of course, we know that there’s inflation. We know that there’s still hardship. But we also know that Nigeria has been put on track for development, to come out from economic hardship.”
Udeh further cited developments in Enugu State, saying the state government was undertaking projects in infrastructure and transportation.
“Go to any of the states, you’ll see massive transformation. You’re from Enugu State. You see what the governor is doing in every sector, infrastructure, transportation—it is quickly turning into the conferencing capital of Africa. So opportunities have been made for governors and even local governments to transform the lives of their people.”
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