Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has recounted how a dispute with a female landowner escalated into a government takeover of her property.

According to a video spotted by Sahara Reporters, the governor stated that the decision to acquire the land was not initially part of the plan, but was triggered by the woman’s resistance.

He boasted that he ordered the acquisition of the woman’s land because she challenged his actions.

“I didn’t want to take the woman’s remaining land, but when she started making troubles, I said they should go and acquire the land. I’m the one, not any other person else,” Umahi said

The minister’s remarks suggest that the land acquisition was carried out in response to the woman’s opposition.

Meanwhile, Umahi has stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is the only party that can deliver sustainable development to the Southeast.

Umahi stated this at his country residence in Umunaga Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, where he addressed APC supporters and stakeholders following the party’s primary election victory of his son, Osborne Nweze Umahi, as the chairmanship candidate for Ohaozara LGA.

He urged youths and stakeholders across the zone to embark on massive registration into the ruling party to secure the region’s political future.

“Let everybody go and register in APC. There is no alternative,” Umahi said, urging a concerted membership drive across all Southeast states.

He also commended President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s efforts to address longstanding grievances in the region, particularly the agitation for secession, which he said was born out of years of neglect.

“The President has defied all the agitation from Biafra. We are not living on sentiments,” he stated, insisting that political advancement for the Southeast cannot be achieved through emotional rhetoric or intimidation.

Umahi emphasized that the region must focus on concrete achievements and participation in national politics rather than resorting to protest and agitation

He said the current administration had begun correcting historical imbalances, adding that the Southeast would eventually produce a credible presidential candidate when the time is right.

“The time of God is the right time,” Umahi said, urging the Southeast to remain patient and united under the APC platform.

The minister also defended the federal government’s road infrastructure projects, describing them as transformational and essential to national development.