Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, on Saturday, September 26, said no ‘rainbow coalition’ will be allowed in Ebonyi State, insisting that the state remains totally aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates.
Umahi spoke against the backdrop of disagreements between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and some APC governors over political arrangements ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The ‘rainbow coalition’ is a multiparty political platform promoted by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.and give politicians from different parties freedom to contest or support candidates in other elections.
Umahi spoke on the development during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Benue State at the weekend.
A statement issued on Saturday by the Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Media, Francis Nwaze, said Umahi inspected Section Two of the project at Ado and directed contractors to accelerate construction.
Commenting on his relationship with Wike and reports that he was forming a similar political arrangement in Ebonyi, Umahi said Wike remains his friend and brother, but stressed that such arrangement will not work in his state.
“If Wike has candidates in my state, 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 minister also revisited his criticism of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he left the party because it failed to adequately recognise the interests of the South-East.
“We supported the PDP. We voted for presidents in the PDP. And when it was our time for them to honour us, they did not honour us. They mistreated us,” Umahi said.
He added that those wishing to campaign in Ebonyi were free to do so but warned political actors against hate speech and attempts to cause disorder.
“Anybody that wants to campaign, come and campaign. But don’t dish out hate speeches and you want that we should lay a red carpet for you. We will not do that,” he said.
