Minister of Works David Umahi has rejected claims that the Rainbow Coalition Movement was plotting to wrestle power from Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State, saying the movement does not exist in the state.
Mr Umahi, the immediate past governor of Ebonyi State, spoke during an inspection of the Calabar-Abuja Superhighway in Benue State on Friday.
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A video clip which showed the minister making the remarks has been circulating on Facebook.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike runs the Rainbow Coalition, a multi-party political arrangement, to support President Bola Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.
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Mr Umahi’s comment follows controversies and disagreement between Mr Wike and some members of the All Progressives (APC), particularly Nigerian governors under the party’s platform over the coalition.
Mr Wike has said the coalition will back candidates of his party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) for other elective positions whilst supporting APC’s Mr Tinubu re-election as president in 2027.
The FCT minister is officially a national leader of the PDP faction recognised by the court and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
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However, he works in the administration of Mr Tinubu, who is a member of the ruling APC.
He has continued to openly express support for the re-election of the president in 2027.
‘No Rainbow Coalition in Ebonyi’
But reacting, Mr Umahi, also a member of the ruling APC, said he was unaware if Mr Wike has a governorship candidate in Ebonyi State.
“Wike is my good friend and brother, (but) there is no (Rainbow) Coalition in Ebonyi State. There is none. And if Wike has (a governorship) candidate here, he has not told me.”
“And his candidates cannot break our relationship. But his candidate is not part of our relationship,” he said.
The works minister, who exited PDP in 2020, jokingly said he did not know that the PDP was still in existence in Ebonyi State.
“I killed PDP when I left PDP. Whether they are alive again, (I don’t know). And if they are alive, we have to unalive them because PDP did not treat the people of South-east well.
“We supported the PDP. We voted for presidents in the PDP. when it was our time for them to, you know, honour us (with presidential ticket), they did not honour us. We have hope in APC,” he said.
‘We’ll fight’
Mr Umahi said his position and that of Governor Nwifuru is that opposition candidates and politicians are free to campaign in Ebonyi State without causing “troubles.”
“But if you think you can foment (a) crisis, we will run you out of the state. Nobody can foment crisis in Ebonyi State.
“Anybody that wants to campaign, come and campaign. But don’t dish out hate speeches. And you want to dish out hate speeches and you want us to make a red carpet for you. We will not do that. And If you want (to) fight, we will fight,” he said.
‘Nwifuru, Tinubu’s second term bids guaranteed’
Mr Umahi then boasted that there are no threats against the victory of Mr Nwifuru and President Tinubu in Ebonyi State in 2027.
“I don’t think we have any threat either for the president or for the governor or for any of the APC candidates in this Ebony State.
“I fought the battle alone before. Today, I have the governor. He has me. And there are so many leaders that are with us. So there is nothing to fear (other) than to calculate our votes ahead of time,” the minister claimed.
READ ALSO: Wike to lead Tinubu 2027 re-election campaign in FCT, Rivers
“If we win 95 percent (of votes), that will be our dream come true.”
Background
Messrs Wike and Nwifuru appeared to be fighting cold war in June this year when the Ebonyi governor threatened to “consume” the FCT minister if he dared to challenge him in the south-eastern state ahead of the state’s governorship election in 2027.
The governor’s outburst followed claims by Mr Wike’s unnamed allies that Mr Tinubu had handed over Ebonyi to the FCT minister and his PDP faction.
In recent times, the friction between Mr Wike and APC governors has also heightened tension and fears that the FCT minister might use the Rainbow Coalition Movement against the governors in the 2027 elections.
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