. . . Dismisses allegations

A Nigerian businesswoman, Tracynither Nicolas Ohiri, has accused the Minister of Works and former Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, of refusing to pay her the sum of N200 million for promotional items she supplied for his 2014 governorship campaign.

In an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters on Friday morning, Ohiri alleged that Umahi deliberately withheld the payment because she rejected his sexual advances.

According to her, Umahi assured her that she would be paid after he won the election. Still, when she started demanding her money, he allegedly attempted to turn their business relationship into a personal affair.

She alleged that Umahi became angry after she repeatedly rejected his sexual advances and stopped answering calls from her.

In an interview with SaharaReporters, she said: ?When I supplied him with the goods, he told me that he did not have money, but that I should not worry. As soon as he finished contesting for the governorship election and won, he would repay me.

?At the time I was supplying those goods, he even told me that he had gone to see (the then-President) Goodluck Jonathan to request some money for his election and that I should be patient.

When he won the election and became governor, I started asking him for my money, and he began asking me out. I gave him about a year and eight months (after the election) before I started asking for my money. So, anytime I asked him for payment, he would say, 'No problem, I'm going to pay you.' So he would now tell me that, but what about the thing he has been discussing with me? I said, 'No, no,' I'm a born-again Christian; I don't do all those kinds of things, sir.

?When he mentioned it to me twice, he took offence and said, ?Do you know that since I was born, no woman has said no to me?? I said I don't know about that, but I cannot have anything to do with you, sir. I want it to be purely on business. The next thing he did was block me.?

?So when I tried to reach him again, he started saying that I insulted him. He said that one day, he would make me pay for the insult. And that was how he stopped taking my calls till today since 2015,? the businesswoman added.

The businesswoman has been publicly protesting for years. She took to social media in multiple videos to demand her money while lamenting how the debt has crippled her financially for almost eleven years now.

Addressing Umahi directly in one of the videos seen by SaharaReporters, she said: "Engr David Umahi, you know that I am not lying. Your wife knows that I am not lying. Your children know that I am not lying. Your mother knows that I am not lying.

?I know you have the power; you have the money, you have everything. Your government is in power to lock me up. But one thing I want to tell you is that I am ready to die for this. Engr David, come and tell Nigerians the reason why I have insulted you.?

The woman, a mother, further lamented that while Umahi?s son flies around in private jets, she has been struggling to survive because he withheld her business capital.

"Give me my money. I am a mother with children. I see your son flying private jets. The money your son is using to fly private jets is enough for you to pay me. You withheld my capital. I am a nursing mother; I need my payment. I have waited enough for nine years.?

During her protest, she displayed placards expressing fears that security agents might come after her for speaking out, but she vowed not to back down until Umahi settles his debt.

One of her placards read: "Nigerians help me. Because very soon now, they will send DSS to come and arrest me. Their government is in power; they will come and attack me. But I am ready to die for this because I have waited for nine years. This man owes me.?

In a desperate appeal, she called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and compel Umahi to pay:.

"His Excellency Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and a father to all Nigerian women, wives, and mothers, please, sir, come to my help," she said.

"Nigerians have advised me to reach out to you. Please, His Excellency sir, help me call Engr David Umahi to order so he can pay me my business capital. Nine years is not nine days.?

She insisted that Umahi received the promotional items at his residence in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, during his campaign.

"Engr David Nweze Umahi, the current Minister of Works, owes me N200 million for the promotional gift items produced for him in 2014, which were offloaded and received in his house in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, for his gubernatorial election,? she said.

When contacted, Umahi?s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Uchenna Orji, dismissed the allegations, describing them as baseless and an attempt to tarnish the minister?s reputation.

"Has she started again? Tracynither, the so-called content creator, has spent the last two years ranting on social media with unfounded accusations against the honourable minister of works," Orji told SaharaReporters during a telephone conversation on Friday afternoon.

Orji added: "It may interest you to know that during the honourable minister?s eight years as Governor of Ebonyi State, this woman never made such claims on any platform. It was only after his appointment as minister that she suddenly resurfaced with these allegations.

"She has been very active on social media, yet she has not reported the matter to the police or taken any legal action. I have no further response until she surfaces again."

Similar Scandal Involving Another Ally of President Tinubu

Another ally of Tinubu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, is also embroiled in a similar controversy.

In February 2025, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan accused Akpabio of sexual harassment, alleging that he made inappropriate advances towards her during a visit to his residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on December 8, 2023.

She claimed that Akpabio led her around his house and insinuated that she should "take care of him" to facilitate the consideration of her motions in the Senate.

Akpabio has denied these allegations, stating that he has always upheld respect for women and emphasising that he was raised by a single mother. He described the claims as unfounded and baseless, highlighting his previous recognition as a gender-friendly governor.

Following these events, the Senate suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months, citing violations of legislative decorum and not directly linking the suspension to her allegations against Akpabio.

The Senate clarified that her suspension was due to her refusal to sit in her assigned seat, speaking without recognition, and making disrespectful remarks against the Senate leadership.

This case has sparked significant public discourse in Nigeria, highlighting issues of gender inequality and the treatment of women in politics.

Women's rights groups have condemned Akpoti-Uduaghan's suspension, leading to protests under the banner "We are all Natasha." (Text, excluding headline: SaharaReporters)

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