Rainbow Coalition doesn’t exist in Ebonyi – Umahi

Minister of Works and former governor of Ebonyi, David Umahi, has ruled out the existence of the Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi, declaring that the state remains firmly aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates ahead of the 2027 elections.

The Rainbow Coalition is a multi-party platform promoted by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid while allowing politicians from different parties to retain their affiliations and support candidates in other elections.

Umahi also warned politicians planning to campaign in the state against hate speech and actions capable of triggering unrest, insisting that no political actor would be allowed to foment crisis in Ebonyi.

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

He made the remarks on Friday, September 25, 2026, while inspecting Section Two of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway project in Ado, Benue State.

According to a statement issued on Saturday by Francis Nwaze, Senior Special Assistant to Umahi on Media, the minister 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.”

Umahi’s comments come amid disagreements between Wike and some APC governors over the political arrangements being considered ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Umahi maintained that political actors were free to campaign in Ebonyi but cautioned against inflammatory rhetoric and attempts to destabilise 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.

The former governor also revisited his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), accusing the party of failing to recognise the 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.

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