Umahi Dares Wike’s Allies, Says There’s No Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi

Following the disagreement between the governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over the activities of the minister’s ‘Rainbow Coalition’ in some states, the Minister of Works and former governor of Ebonyi State, Mr Dave Umahi, has declared that there was no such coalition in the state.

Umahi insisted that the state remained aligned with the APC and its candidates.

The Rainbow Coalition is a multi-political party platform promoted by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while retaining the freedom to support non-APC candidates in other elections.

Umahi spoke during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Benue State on Friday.

A statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Works 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 State, Umahi said, “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.”

The former Ebonyi State governor also revisited his criticism of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he left the party because he believed it failed to recognise the interests of the South-east adequately.

“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 State 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 speech, and you want to take those speeches, and you want that we should lay a red carpet for you. We will not do that,” he said.

“Nobody can foment crisis in Ebonyi State,” the minister added.

The minister also linked his political support for Tinubu to the federal government’s infrastructure programme, rejecting claims that he had concentrated federal projects in the South-east.

“I saw on social media where they say I cornered all projects to the South-east. That is very wonderful. But we have the publication of all projects ongoing by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; so, they darken counsel without knowledge,” he said.

“I’m not on my own. The President is my boss. So, where will he be when I corner all projects to South-east?” Umahi asked.

He said the South-east was receiving infrastructure projects as part of the federal government’s wider programme, adding that the region might not be first, second or third in project distribution but “definitely they will not be the last.”

Umahi said Nigerians should assess the administration through projects already being executed rather than campaign promises.

“We should tell our story. It’s not a question of saying, ‘I will do this, I’ll do this.’ What about what the person is doing? Let us compare the past with the present,” he said.

He cited the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway as one of the projects being implemented by the federal government. Section Two of the highway, according to the minister, covers about 173.6 kilometres and has a contract value of about N683 billion, while Section One is valued at about N454 billion.

During the inspection in Benue State, Umahi directed contractors not to demolish buildings along the current alignment until the federal government completes its review and, where necessary, realigns the route.

He also directed contractors to accelerate work and open additional sections of the highway while engineers resolve the challenge around the Ado Bridge.

“I do not believe in engineering that anything is impossible,” Umahi said.

On his son’s nomination as Chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Umahi said Governor Francis Nwifuru, not him, made the nomination.