Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has dismissed reports of a political “Rainbow Coalition” in Ebonyi State, declaring that the state remains aligned with the All Progressives Congress and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Umahi made the clarification on Friday during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Ado, Benue State, against the backdrop of ongoing political disagreements involving the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and some APC governors over the coalition.

The Rainbow Coalition is a multi-party political platform promoted by Wike to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, while allowing politicians to retain their respective party affiliations and make independent choices in other elections.

Responding to questions about his relationship with Wike and reports that a similar arrangement was being established in Ebonyi, Umahi said Wike’s political interests in the state would not affect his relationship with the APC.

“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 former governor also revisited his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party, saying the party failed to adequately recognise the interests of the South-East despite the region’s support for the party.

“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 stated.

He, however, said political opponents were free to campaign in Ebonyi, warning them against hate speech and statements capable of causing tension in the state.

“Anybody that wants to campaign, come and campaign. But don’t dish out hate speeches,” he said, adding, “Nobody can foment crisis in Ebonyi State.”