By Obinna Uballa
A businesswoman, Mrs Tracy Ohiri, has made fresh allegations against the Minister of Works, David Umahi, after accusing him of sexual harassment, intimidation, unlawful detention and failure to pay for campaign promotional materials she claimed to have supplied.
The New Diplomat had reported that Ohiri who initially spoke in a video shared earlier on Thursday by activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, accused Umahi of intimidation, while vowing never to back down.
She subsequently addressed journalists in Abuja, detailing how her alleged business dealings with the minister began before his election as Governor of Ebonyi State.
According to her, she was contracted to produce corporate gift items for campaign purposes after making several presentations and submitting quotations. Despite repeated requests for mobilisation funds, she claimed she was encouraged to proceed with production.
Ohiri said she financed the project using her personal savings and loans, including money set aside for her children’s school fees.
Recounting one of the alleged incidents, she claimed that during a business trip to Ebonyi State, Umahi entered her hotel room wearing only a towel and made advances towards her.
“He tied a towel around his waist and came into my room, disturbing me,” she alleged, adding that she fled to a staff member’s room where she spent the night.
She further claimed that the campaign materials were delivered to the minister’s residence in the presence of family members and staff after being transported by truck at her expense. However, she alleged that she was neither reimbursed for logistics nor paid for the items supplied.
Ohiri said that after waiting for one year and eight months following the election, she began demanding payment of an initial N25.4 million debt, which she claimed had risen to N304 million with accrued interest.
She alleged that whenever she demanded payment, the minister made personal advances towards her, which she rejected.
“I told him to focus on paying me my money and stop asking me out,” she said, claiming that her refusal resulted in hostility and threats.
Ohiri also alleged that after she threatened to stage a protest at the Government House over the unpaid debt, she received warnings not to proceed. She further claimed that following heightened social media attention on the matter – particularly after the death of her father, whom she had hoped to send abroad for medical treatment – security operatives arrested her at her residence and transported her to Abuja.
According to her, during an interaction with the police, the minister denied ever meeting her. She said she presented photographs and other materials to counter the denial.
Ohiri is being arraigned before a magistrate’s court in Zone 2, Abuja.
Umahi Denies Allegations
The New Diplomat had reported that Umahi denied instructing police officers to target Ohiri over the dispute.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the minister described Ohiri’s claims as inconsistent, contradictory and lacking coherence.
He stated that members of the public who have followed the matter have questioned the credibility of her account.
The statement maintained that the Nigeria Police Force acted within its constitutional mandate to maintain law and order and investigate complaints, following a petition submitted by the minister’s lawyer.
According to the statement, Ohiri’s arrest and the minister’s invitation to provide a statement were carried out in line with standard legal procedures.
The minister’s media office also criticised Sowore’s public confrontation, describing it as “performative activism” intended to create a spectacle rather than allow due process.
“As it stands, the matter is under police investigation, where the facts will determine the outcome,” the statement added.
