David Umahi, Minister of Works and former Governor of Ebonyi State, has ruled out the existence of the ‘Rainbow Coalition’ in Ebonyi State, insisting that the State remains aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Umahi made the declaration on Friday while inspecting Section Two of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway at Ado in Benue State, amid growing political disagreements over the cross-party coalition associated with Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
Responding to questions about his relationship with Wike and reports that the Coalition was taking root in Ebonyi, Umahi said he was not aware of any Wike-backed candidates in the State.
‘If Wike has candidates here, he has not told me. And his candidate cannot break our relationship, but his candidate is not part of our relationship. There is no Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi State,’ he said.
The Rainbow Coalition has been presented by Wike as a multi-party platform for mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while allowing politicians to retain their party affiliations and make independent choices in governorship and legislative contests. The arrangement has, however, drawn opposition from some APC governors who have expressed concern about its implications for the party and its candidates.
Umahi, who defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in 2020, also revisited the circumstances surrounding his defection, accusing the PDP of failing to adequately recognise the political interests of the South-East.
‘We supported PDP. We voted for presidents in PDP. And when it was our time for them to honour us, they did not honour us. They maltreated us,’ he said.
He said politicians were free to campaign in Ebonyi but warned against hate speech and activities capable of creating tension in the State.
‘Anybody that wants to campaign, come and campaign. But don’t dish out hate speeches and you want to take those speeches, and you want that we should lay a red carpet for you. We will not do that,’ Umahi said, adding, ‘Nobody can foment crisis in Ebonyi State.’
The minister also defended his support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election, linking his position to the administration’s infrastructure programme and reforms.
‘What gave rise to this is because I believe in President Bola Tinubu. I believe that he’s the one called by God. I believe in his vision. I believe in his reforms. I believe he’s the best person that I have worked with and for, and I’m very proud of working for him and working with him,’ he said.
Umahi also rejected claims that his position as Works Minister had led to the concentration of federal projects in the South-East, saying the projects were part of the Federal Government’s wider national infrastructure programme.
‘I’m not on my own. The President is my boss. So where will he be when I corner all projects to Southeast?’ he asked, adding that although the South-East might not rank first, second or third in the distribution of federal projects, ‘definitely they will not be the last.’
On the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway, Umahi directed contractors handling Section Two to accelerate construction and open additional work fronts while engineers resolve challenges around the Ado Bridge.
He also ordered that no buildings along the existing alignment should be demolished pending the Federal Government’s review of the route.
‘My directive is that no building should be touched. Even if it’s within the alignment, I have to come and realign it. So you just have to continue your work and go around those buildings until we come to look at it,’ he said.
Umahi said engineering challenges could be resolved and urged the contractors to sustain work on the project.
‘I do not believe in engineering that anything is impossible,’ he said.