Wike Has Not Told Me He Has Candidates In Ebonyi State – Umahi

Former governor of Ebonyi State and the Minister of Works, David Umahi, has stated that there is no rainbow coalition in the state.

Naija News reports that Umahi made the remark during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Benue State on Friday.

He asserted that Ebonyi State remains aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidates.

His statement comes against the backdrop of disagreements between the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and some APC governors over political arrangements ahead of the 2027 elections.

Commenting on his relationship with Wike and reports that he was forming 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.”

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

“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 added that those wishing to campaign in Ebonyi 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 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.

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