The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, has strongly denied allegations of sexual harassment and non-payment for political campaign materials levelled against him by a businesswoman identified as Tracynither Nicolas Ohiri.
The allegations, which surfaced on social media, claim that Umahi failed to pay for campaign supplies dating back to his 2014 governorship bid in Ebonyi State and also accused him of inappropriate conduct.
Responding during an inspection visit to the Independence Bridge in Lagos on Thursday, Umahi dismissed the accusations as baseless, politically motivated, and intended to smear his reputation. He insisted that there is no record of such transactions and challenged Ohiri to provide evidence.
“The Minister dismissed the allegations and accusations by the woman as absolutely unfounded, pretentiously orchestrated and politically masterminded by detractors to ingloriously sully his reputation for selfish motives,” a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, read.
Umahi further described the sexual harassment claims as “ridiculous” and warned that legal action was already being considered to hold the accuser accountable and deter similar false claims in the future.
“This has become a stock in trade for some individuals desperate to bring down perceived enemies,” the statement added.
The Minister made these comments while addressing the issue of Wednesday’s traffic gridlock caused by repair works on the Independence Bridge. He announced new directives for road and bridge closures, mandating all state controllers to secure written approval from the Ministry in Abuja before commencing such repairs.
As of the time of this report, the businesswoman has not provided any official documents or receipts to support her claims.
