A businesswoman, Mrs. Tracyniter Nicholas Ohiri, has accused the Minister of Works, David Umahi, of sexual harassment, intimidation, detention and refusal to pay for campaign promotional materials she claims to have supplied.
Ohiri, who publicly narrated her experience in Abuja on Thursday alleged that her business dealings with the minister date back to the period preceding his election as Governor of Ebonyi State.
She said she was contracted to produce corporate gift items for campaign purposes after making several presentations and submitting quotations.
According to her, despite requests for mobilisation funds, she was encouraged to proceed with production.
She alleged that she financed the project through personal savings and loans, including funds meant for her children’s school fees.
Ohiri further claimed that during one of her visits to Ebonyi for business discussions, Umahi entered her hotel room wearing only a towel and made advances toward 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 said the items were later delivered to the minister’s residence in the presence of his family and staff after being transported by truck at her expense.
However, she claimed she was neither reimbursed for logistics nor paid for the goods supplied.
The businesswoman alleged that after waiting for one year and eight months following the election period, she began demanding payment of the initial N25.4 million debt, which she claims has since accumulated to N304 million with interest.
She further alleged that whenever she demanded payment, the minister made repeated personal advances toward her, which she rejected.
“I told him to focus on paying me my money and stop asking me out,” she said, alleging that this led to hostility and threatening messages.
Ohiri also claimed that after she threatened to stage a protest at the Government House over the unpaid debt, she received threats warning her against carrying out the plan.
She alleged that following a social media outcry over the matter after the death of her father, whom she said 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 a police interaction, Umahi denied ever meeting her.
She claimed she presented photographs and other materials to counter the denial.
Tracyniter Nicholas is being arraigned by the police before a magistrate court at the Wuse zone 2 Abuja following a confrontation between the Minister and a human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, at the FCT Police Command on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
Human rights activists led by Omoyele Sowore have besieged the court in solidarity with Tracyniter as they insist on getting justice for her.
Meanwhile, Umahi has denied instructing police officers to target Ohiri over the dispute concerning campaign payments.
Describing her claims as inconsistent, contradictory, and lacking clarity, Umahi noted that members of the public who have followed the matter have similarly questioned the credibility of her account.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, and obtained by our correspondent on Thursday, Umahi explained that the police, acting within their constitutional mandate to maintain law and order and investigate complaints, were responding to a petition submitted by his lawyer.
He added that the subsequent arrest of Ohiri and the invitation for his own statement were carried out strictly according to standard legal procedures.
The statement reads, “The Media Office of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr. David Umahi, CON, has taken note of a video currently being circulated by Omoyele Sowore, in which he attempts to publicly confront and provoke the Minister over a matter already before the appropriate authorities.
“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. These claims, which relate to alleged assault and unpaid campaign materials, have been repeatedly published through social media videos and writings.
“It is important to state that her accounts have been inconsistent, contradictory, and lacking coherence, a fact that has been widely observed by members of the public who have followed the matter over time.
“Contrary to the misleading narrative being pushed by Sowore, the honourable minister did not deploy the police to settle any personal score.
“The Nigeria Police Force, acting within its constitutional mandate to maintain law and order and investigate complaints, acted on a petition submitted by the minister’s lawyer, arrested her, and invited the Honourable Minister in line with standard procedure for statements.
“Mr Sowore’s attempt to dramatise this lawful process by staging a public spectacle is a familiar pattern of performative activism aimed at gaining attention rather than seeking truth.
The honourable minister, consistent with his character and respect for due process, declined to be drawn into theatrics and calmly disengaged. As it stands, the matter is under police investigation, where facts will determine the outcome.”
