Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, Senator David Umahi, has dismissed reports of a political “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 spoke on Friday, September 25, 2026, while inspecting Section Two of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway at Ado in Benue State.
His comments came amid disagreements between Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and some APC governors over the cross-party political platform associated with Wike.
The Rainbow Coalition has been described by Wike as a multi-party arrangement aimed at supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, while allowing members to retain their party affiliations and pursue other electoral interests.
Asked whether a similar arrangement existed in Ebonyi, Umahi said he was unaware of any Wike-backed candidate 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 minister said politicians were free to campaign in Ebonyi but warned against hate speech and actions capable of causing unrest.
“Anybody that wants to campaign, come and campaign. But don’t dish out hate speeches,” he said, adding that nobody would be allowed to foment crisis in the state.
Umahi also revisited his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, saying he believed the party had 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 maltreated us,” he said.
Superhighway Construction
The minister also used the inspection to direct contractors handling the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway to accelerate construction and open additional sections of the road.
He said Section Two covers about 173.6 kilometres and has a contract value of approximately ₦683 billion, while Section One is valued at about ₦454 billion.
Umahi further directed that no buildings should be demolished along the current alignment until the Federal Government completes its review of the route and makes any necessary adjustments.
He said contractors should work around affected structures pending the review, while engineers address the construction challenges around the Ado Bridge.
“I do not believe in engineering that anything is impossible,” he said.
Umahi also rejected claims that his position as Works Minister had resulted in an undue concentration of Federal Government projects in the South-East.
He said infrastructure projects were being distributed across the country as part of the Federal Government’s wider development programme.
The minister linked his continued support for President Tinubu to the administration’s infrastructure programme and argued that continuity was important for projects that require several years to complete.
On the nomination of his son as chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area, Umahi said the decision was made by Governor Francis Nwifuru and not by him.
He said he had advised his son to ensure equitable development across all 11 wards of the council rather than concentrating projects in their home community of Uburu.
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