Ebonyi

Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has declared that there is no “Rainbow Coalition” in Ebonyi State, insisting that the state remains aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections. Umahi made the declaration on Friday, September 25, 2026, during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Ado, Benue State. His comments came amid ongoing disagreements between FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and some APC governors over the role of the cross-party Rainbow Coalition in the 2027 elections. Wike has said the platform is focused on mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while allowing members to retain their party affiliations. Umahi: No Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi Reacting to reports that he was involved in a similar political arrangement in Ebonyi, 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.” He said politicians were free to campaign in Ebonyi but warned against hate speech and actions that could cause unrest. “Anybody that wants to campaign, come and campaign. But don’t dish out hate speeches… Nobody can foment crisis in Ebonyi State,” he said. Umahi also revisited his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he believed the party had failed to adequately recognise the interests of the South-East. Umahi Defends Support for Tinubu The former governor linked his support for President Tinubu to the Federal Government’s infrastructure programme, rejecting claims that he had concentrated federal projects in the South-East. “I’m not on my own. The President is my boss. So where will he be when I corner all projects to Southeast?” Umahi asked. He said Nigerians should assess the administration based on projects already being executed rather than campaign promises. Minister Orders Changes to Superhighway Alignment During the inspection, Umahi directed contractors handling Section Two of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway not to demolish buildings along the current alignment until the Federal Government completes a review and, where necessary, realigns 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,” he said. Umahi also ordered contractors to accelerate construction and open additional sections of the highway while engineers address challenges around the Ado Bridge. Section Two of the project covers about 173.6 kilometres, with a reported contract value of about ₦683 billion.