Ohanaeze Ndigbo Exonerates Umahi from sexual allegations, threatens to sue Blackmailer
Onyekachi Nnabu
The apex Igbo sociocultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo has dismissed sexual allegations levied against the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi by one Mrs Tracynither Nichola Ohiri as baseless and fabricated.
According to some media reports, Mrs Ohiri claimed that Umahi had refused to pay her N200 million for supplying electioneering promotional materials during Umahi’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign for Ebonyi State because he resisted sexual advances made to her.
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However, coming in defence for the Works Minister, the Deputy President General of the body, Okechukwu Isiguzoro said it was perplexing that Ms. Ohiri remained silent for over a decade—between 2014 and 2025—without seeking redress through appropriate legal channels.
The body further demanded that she should bring up concrete evidence to substantiate her allegations within a strict timeframe of 48 hours, stressing that failure to do so, would invoke serious repercussions, in keeping with our Igbo traditions and cultural norms.
According to Isiguzoro: “the maligning comments issued by Ms. Tracynither Nicholas Ohiri not only lack merit but also constitute a disservice to the values we uphold as a community. We hereby demand that she furnish concrete evidence to substantiate her allegations within a strict timeframe of 48 hours, failure to do so will invoke serious repercussions, in keeping with our Igbo traditions and cultural norms”.
“Moreover, we require Ms. Ohiri to disclose the entities motivating her actions and to issue an unreserved apology to Senator Umahi for any distress her unfounded accusations may have caused”.
“The facts surrounding Ms. Ohiri’s allegations, particularly her assertion of a purported debt of 200 million naira for supplying electioneering promotional materials during Umahi’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign for Ebonyi State, warrant closer scrutiny”.
“It is perplexing that Ms. Ohiri remained silent for over a decade—between 2014 and 2025—without seeking redress through appropriate legal channels. This prolonged silence casts doubt on her motives and invites questions regarding the possible influence of opposition leaders seeking to destabilize the progress being made under Senator Umahi’s stewardship”.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo encouraged Senator David Umahi to remain undaunted in his pivotal role as the Minister of Works adding that the organization would no longer tolerate any attempts to malign the integrity of their patriotic Igbo leaders, particularly those who, like Senator Umahi, are earnest in their efforts to fix Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges.
“The citizens of the Southeast will not sit idly by while enemies of progress resort to blackmail and character assassination”.
“In recognition of the seriousness of these matters, we are prepared to implement stiffer penalties, which may encompass legal action and traditional sanctions, against anyone who dare seeks to cast aspersions on our leaders”.
“Such actions will serve as deterrents to any individuals who may attempt to be manipulated by adversaries of the Igbo people aiming to obstruct the ongoing infrastructural revolution in the Southeast”.
“We possess credible information indicating that certain Northern politicians, in collusion with dubious internal Igbo collaborators, are backing Ms. Ohiri in this smear campaign against Senator Umahi”.
“Thus, we reiterate that if Ms. Ohiri fails to present her evidence within the stipulated 48 hours, we will proceed with appropriate sanctions against her, as the integrity of our community and its leaders remains paramount, he warned.
