Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, has instructed his legal team to head to court following the resurgence of accusations by Tracy Ohiri, whom he says has failed to provide evidence to support her claims.
Ohiri has repeatedly accused the former Ebonyi State governor of owing her N280 million for campaign materials supplied during his tenure as a party chairman.
She has also made claims of s£xual harassment in a video that circulated widely on social media.
The dispute had appeared to cool after Ohiri was arrested and prosecuted over the allegations, and later issued a public apology withdrawing her claims.
That reversal followed the intervention of her lawyer, Marshall Abubakar, after which the contentious posts were deleted.
However, days later, Ohiri returned to social media with renewed accusations, prompting a fresh response from the minister.
In a statement released by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, Umahi said he had made it clear during earlier mediation efforts that the matter could only be resolved in one of two ways: through the courts, or by the presentation of verifiable evidence.
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According to the statement, the minister had indicated that if Ohiri could supply complete records, logs and communications backing her claims, some of his friends and associates were prepared to contribute as much as N1 billion in support.
The minister rejected suggestions that any financial settlement was discussed or negotiated by Abubakar, stressing that the lawyer acted independently and in good faith, without requesting or receiving money from him.
“With the failure to meet the stated conditions, particularly the inability to provide credible and verifiable evidence, the Minister has directed his legal team to proceed with all court processes so the truth can be fully established,” the statement said.
Umahi added that he had chosen silence for years despite what he described as persistent public attacks, but said recent developments made a formal response unavoidable.
He insisted he would not be distracted from his responsibilities at the Federal Ministry of Works, where he said his focus remained on infrastructure delivery, connectivity and economic growth.
He thanked Nigerians who, he said, had taken time to assess the facts, and reiterated his commitment to his mandate and the wider objectives of the current administration.