Umahi Denies Using Police Against Businesswoman Over Campaign Debt Dispute

The Minister of Works and former Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, has denied allegations that he deployed police officers against Mrs Tracy Ohiri to resolve a disagreement over an alleged campaign debt.

Umahi described the claims as inconsistent and contradictory, insisting that the actions of the police followed due process and were based on a petition submitted by his lawyer.

In a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, and obtained on Thursday, the minister said the Nigeria Police acted within its constitutional mandate to maintain law and order and investigate complaints.

He explained that following the petition, Ohiri was arrested and he was subsequently invited by the police in line with standard procedure to make a statement.

The statement noted that the minister’s media office had observed a video circulating online in which Omoyele Sowore attempted to publicly confront Umahi over allegations that were already before the 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,” the statement said. “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, as widely observed by members of the public who have followed the matter.”

Umahi’s media office further dismissed suggestions that the minister used law enforcement to settle a personal dispute, stressing that the police acted independently on a formal complaint.

“Contrary to the misleading narrative being pushed, the honourable minister did not deploy the police to settle any personal score. The Nigeria Police Force acted on a petition, arrested her, and invited the honourable minister in line with standard procedure,” the statement added.

It also criticised Sowore’s actions, describing the public confrontation as “performative activism” aimed at attracting attention rather than uncovering facts. According to the statement, Umahi chose to disengage from the encounter to avoid unnecessary theatrics, noting that the matter remains under police investigation.

Meanwhile, LEADERSHIP reports that Ohiri was on Thursday arraigned before a Magistrate Court in Wuse 6, Abuja, in connection with the long-running dispute between her and the minister. She maintains that the case arose from a civil debt allegedly owed to her for promotional and printing services rendered during Umahi’s 2015 governorship campaign in Ebonyi State.

Speaking with journalists at the court, Ohiri accused the minister of owing her and alleged that he used the police to harass and detain her after she rejected his advances.

Addressing the situation in strong terms at the Magistrate Court, Ohiri declared: “I can never be broken. You must pay me my money. I will press your neck.”

The controversy gained renewed attention on Wednesday after a viral video showed Sowore confronting Umahi in a public setting over Ohiri’s allegations of assault and non-payment for campaign materials. In the footage, Sowore accused the minister of using state institutions to intimidate a private citizen, while Umahi declined to engage and walked away.

The video has since generated mixed reactions on social media, with supporters of both men offering contrasting interpretations, as the matter remains under police investigation.