A once-upon-a-time romantic affair between a former Governor of Imo State, Mr. Ikedi Ohakim and his woman-friend, Ms. Chinyere Amuchienwa has gone sour.
Now, things have quickly degenerated between the duo, forcing the police to launch a probe into their past affair and the flurry of allegations, as well as denials by both Amuchienwa and Ohakim, currently in the public domain.
According to reports, Amuchienwa who also hails from Imo has been the other woman to the former Imo Governor for some time now, as both were locked up in a relationship.
Ohakim governed Imo state between 2007 and 2011. He was succeeded in office by Senator Rochas Okorocaha. He tried to be governor again in 2019, but his bid failed at the polls.
Amuchienwa had disclosed that the dirty fight broke out as a result Ohakim’s failure to pay her some amount he owed her, among other claims.
She alleged that the former governor defrauded her over a piece of land in Lagos.
56-year-old Amuchienwa, a businesswoman, also accused Ohakim of carting away designer’s suitcase, bags, shoes and other luxury items worth N110 million from her shop in Lagos. She claimed he has refused to pay for the wares.
Though, the former Governor confirmed the woman has had “a close and trusting relationship with him”, saying he would not reveal the “lurid” details from their past, he denied the allegations made by her.
Ohakim said he did not defraud Amuchienwa of N500 million or purchased any luxury goods valued at N110million as claimed by her.
Ms Amuchienwa had told an online newspaper, Premium Times, that she dated the former governor. “I am an adult and I am entitled to date anybody I choose to,” she said.
She said Ohakim visited her shop in Lagos and allegedly took several goods on credit and has not paid for them.
She also narrated an incident at BON Hotel in Abuja, where she alleged Ohakim snatched her phone from her “over money Ohakim is owing me”.
Amuchienwa claimed Ohakim ran out of the hotel room with the phone when she refused to sit down with him.
She added that police officers from the Asokoro police station visited the hotel on Ohakim’s invitation, and that no gun was found in her bag when it was emptied at the reception. Ohakim had claimed in a petition submitted to the police that her estranged mistress was in possession of a gun while she visited him.
Ms Amuchienwa said it was not true that she could not account for over N100 million Ohakim claimed he gave her as his election coordinator for Ideato North Local Government Area.
Alleging further, she said:“Ikedi brought land document and showed to me. He said the land belonged to him. The land is on the airport road in Lagos, he even took us there.
“He said he was waiting for payment from the buyer of the land and that when they pay him he would be able to pay.
“It was when this trouble started that we discovered the land didn’t belong to Ikedi Ohakim. It is this land he has been using to scam me.
“The witnesses who are aware that I gave him money have volunteered their statement to the police.”
According to reports, Amuchienwa said Ohakim who has been married to Chioma Ohakim, for 39 years gave her a “fake diamond ring” as an engagement ring, and that she was unaware that the former governor was married.
Meanwhile, Ohakim, 63, now has children and grandchildren.
Debunking the claims made by Amuchienwa, the former Governor in a statement by his lawyer, Mr. Aloy Ejimakor, said she has not been arrested over Amuchinwa’s petition to the police.
He said: “It was Ms Amuchinwa that was arrested, detained and then granted administrative bail. The matter over which she was arrested (assault of Dr Ohakim) is pending commencement of court arraignment.
“What is true is that Ms Amuchinwa capitalised on a close and trusting relationship with Dr Ohakim and resorted to blackmailing, extorting, seducing and threatening Dr Ohakim since last year (2019).
“Dr Ohakim has done his best within the constraints of being a Politically Exposed Person (PEP) to resist and contain Ms Amuchienwa’s myriad misconduct towards his person.
“It came to a point where Ms Amuchinwa assaulted Dr. Ohakim in Abuja, for which she was arrested, detained and later granted bail. This is a matter of verifiable public record.”
Ohakim said when he could no longer bear the alleged manipulative attempts by Amuchienwa, he petitioned the Inspector-General of Police on January 20.
According to him, he supplied the police with further information and evidence as requested by the force.
The statement adds: “We have adopted the considered decision of our client that the said evidence (very lurid and prurient, as they were) should not be disclosed to the media because our client has an abiding commitment to protecting Ms Amuchinwa’s privacy, even as it might be legally advantageous to him not to do so.”
Ohakim said it was after he had filed his petition that Ms Amuchienwa filed a counter-petition on July 8.
“So, it is easy to understand the motive behind the false allegations she made in her petition. Thus, her overall credibility should, therefore, be judged on this score.
“Perhaps the most striking truth is that the said Amuchinwa had from 2019 (when she started this whole saga) to as recently as 21st January through 27th March 2020 intermittently demonstrated contrition and proffered apologies to our client, both verbally and in writing.
“Proofs of the many instances of those apologies and contrition have been well-preserved. Dr. Ohakim is a Politically Exposed Person and thus seen (by some unsavoury characters) as a soft target for clumsy schemes of the nature falsely stated in Amichinwa’s petition.”
The former governor had told the police that his estranged woman-friend is a 56-year-old divorce whom he “lavishly extended a lot of favour to”.
Ohakim told the police that the “very expensive diamond ring” was a gift.
He said Amuchienwa, who mobilized for him during his failed 2019 governorship election campaign, is now out to “blackmail” and “destroy” his person and character.
Following the claims and counter-claims by the former Imo Governor and his ex-mistress, the police has launched an investigation into their past affair and dealings.
