Umahi Denies Using Police to Intimidate Woman Over Alleged Campaign Debt
By Momodu Favour
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has denied allegations that he deployed police officers to intimidate a woman, Mrs Tracy Ohiri, over a dispute involving alleged unpaid campaign materials.
Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, described the claims as inconsistent and contradictory, insisting that due process was followed after a petition was filed through his lawyer.
In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, and obtained on Thursday, the minister said the Nigeria Police Force acted within its constitutional mandate after receiving a formal complaint.
According to the statement, the police arrested Ohiri and subsequently invited Umahi to provide his statement in line with standard investigative procedures.
The minister’s media office also reacted to a viral video shared by activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, in which Sowore confronted Umahi in a public setting over the allegations.
“For clarity and public record, the allegations referenced by Mr Sowore were made by Mrs Tracy Ohiri and have been in the public space since last year,” the statement read. It added that the claims, which relate to alleged assault and non-payment for campaign materials, had been circulated repeatedly on social media but lacked coherence.
The statement further accused Sowore of attempting to “dramatise” a lawful police process, describing the confrontation as “performative activism aimed at gaining attention rather than seeking truth.”
Umahi maintained that he declined to engage in what he termed theatrics and chose instead to allow the matter to remain within institutional processes.
Online reports that Ohiri, in a viral video posted on Wednesday, alleged that the minister assaulted her and failed to pay for campaign materials supplied during previous political activities. The footage has since sparked widespread debate on social media.
In a separate viral clip, Sowore was seen confronting Umahi and questioning him over the allegations, accusing the minister of using state institutions to intimidate a private citizen. The encounter appeared tense, with Umahi walking away without responding at length. Sowore later shared the video online, framing the incident as a demand for accountability.
The controversy has generated mixed reactions, with supporters of both parties offering differing interpretations of events.
As of press time, the matter remains under investigation by the police, who are expected to determine the facts surrounding the allegations.
