The Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has ruled out the emergence of a political alliance similar to the “Rainbow Coalition” in Ebonyi State, declaring that the state remains firmly aligned with the All Progressives Congress and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.
Umahi spoke on Friday during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Benue State, amid reported disagreements between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and some APC governors over political arrangements ahead of the 2027 polls.
The minister was responding to questions about his relationship with Wike and reports that a political arrangement involving opposition party members could be taking shape in Ebonyi.
Umahi said he was unaware of any candidate being promoted by Wike in the state and maintained that such an arrangement would not alter his political relationship with the FCT minister.
“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 also revisited his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, accusing the party of failing to adequately recognise the political interests of the South-East despite the region’s support for its presidential candidates.
“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,” Umahi said.
He, however, said politicians were free to campaign in Ebonyi but warned against inflammatory rhetoric or actions 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,” he said.
Umahi added, “Nobody can foment crisis in Ebonyi State.”
The minister’s comments come against the backdrop of ongoing political disagreements over the role of the Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party platform promoted by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election while allowing members to retain their party identities and pursue candidates in other elections.
Wike has maintained that the coalition is not intended to replace the APC, although some APC governors have expressed opposition to political arrangements they believe could affect the party’s candidates.
Umahi defends Tinubu’s projects
Umahi also defended his support for President Tinubu, dismissing claims that he had concentrated Federal Government infrastructure projects in the South-East because of his position as Works Minister.
He said the distribution of projects was determined by the Federal Government’s broader infrastructure programme rather than personal preference.
“I saw on social media where they say I cornered all projects to Southeast. 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.
The former governor added, “I’m not on my own. The President is my boss. So where will he be when I corner all projects to Southeast?”
According to Umahi, the South-East may not rank first, second or third in terms of the distribution of Federal Government projects, but the region would not be neglected.
He urged Nigerians to evaluate the administration based on projects currently being executed rather than promises made during election campaigns.
“We tell our story. It’s not a question of saying, ‘I will do this, I’ll do this.’ What about the one that the person is doing? Let us compare the past with the present,” he said.
He cited the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway as one of the major infrastructure projects being undertaken by the administration.
Umahi said Section Two of the highway, which covers about 173.6 kilometres, has a contract value of approximately N683bn, while Section One is valued at about N454bn.
Umahi orders contractors to avoid buildings
During the inspection, the minister directed contractors handling the highway project not to demolish buildings along the existing alignment pending the completion of the Federal Government’s review of the route.
He instructed the contractors to continue construction around affected structures until the alignment was reviewed where necessary.
“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,” Umahi said.
He also ordered contractors to accelerate construction and open additional sections of the highway while engineers worked on challenges associated with the Ado Bridge.
Defending the feasibility of the project, the minister said, “I do not believe in engineering that anything is impossible.”
Minister backs Tinubu for 2027
Umahi further explained that his support for Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid was based on his assessment of the President’s policies and infrastructure programme.
“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.
He also argued that continuity was necessary for major infrastructure projects that require several years to complete.
“If, God forbid, another person says he’s President, all these projects will be stalled. And I don’t think Ebonyi wants their projects to be stalled,” Umahi said.
Umahi speaks on son’s council nomination
The minister also clarified his position on the nomination of his son as chairman of Ohaozara Local Government Area.
Umahi said the nomination was made by Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru and not by him.
He said he had advised his son to ensure that development projects were distributed fairly across all 11 wards in the council area, rather than concentrating them in their home community.
“I have advised him, don’t do anything for the people of Uburu because you are from Uburu. It has to be equitably distributed among the eleven council wards in Ohaozara Local Government,” he said.
