A new controversy has emerged in the ongoing dispute involving Nigeria’s Minister of Works, David Umahi, as a businesswoman, Tracyniter Nicholas Ohiri, has alleged that she was forced to retract earlier claims against the minister under pressure and with promises of payment that were not fulfilled.
Ohiri made the allegations in a video released online, where she claimed that her earlier retraction of accusations against the minister was not voluntary but scripted and influenced by a lawyer, Marshal Abubakar.
The development marks a new phase in a case that has attracted public attention, involving claims of financial dispute, alleged harassment, and questions about the use of legal processes.
In the latest video, Ohiri alleged that Abubakar pressured her to record a statement withdrawing her earlier accusations against Umahi. She said she was told that the minister had agreed to compensate her financially.
According to her, the agreement was that she would receive payment before the retraction video was made public. However, she claimed that the video was released without her receiving any money.
“You gave me a script… you forced me to do this video,” she said, addressing the lawyer.
Ohiri also alleged that she was threatened and prevented from speaking to others about the matter. She called on the Nigerian Bar Association to investigate what she described as unethical conduct.
In addition, she released what she claimed were secretly recorded conversations between her and the lawyer to support her allegations.
The controversy began when Ohiri accused Umahi of owing her about N250 million for services she claimed to have provided during his 2015 governorship campaign in Ebonyi State.
According to her earlier statements, the services included promotional and printing work. She alleged that repeated attempts to recover the money led to further issues, including claims of inappropriate advances by the minister, which she said she rejected.
Ohiri also claimed that the situation later escalated, leading to threats and her eventual arrest.
She was arrested in Lagos over allegations linked to her social media posts about the dispute and later transferred to Abuja, where she was detained at the Federal Capital Territory police command.
She was subsequently arraigned before a magistrate court in Wuse, Abuja, on a defamation charge and granted bail.
The case gained wider attention after activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, publicly confronted the minister at a police facility, criticizing what he described as the use of criminal charges in a civil matter.
In response to the initial claims, David Umahi denied both the allegation of indebtedness and claims of sexual harassment.
He described the accusations as baseless and said his record in public service should speak for itself.
“As party chairman, I owed nobody,” he said in a previous statement, adding that no one had ever accused him of harassment during his time in office.
He also dismissed the controversy as social media noise, suggesting it was being exaggerated for attention.
Amid the controversy, Ohiri had earlier released a video retracting her allegations and apologising to the minister and his family.
In that video, she said her decision followed consultations with her family, friends, and legal advisers. She also stated that there was no formal agreement between her and the minister regarding the alleged services.
The retraction appeared to reduce tensions around the matter at the time.
However, her latest claims have raised new questions, as she now alleges that the retraction was made under pressure and based on promises that were not fulfilled.
She insisted that the earlier video did not reflect her true position.
Responding to the new claims, Marshal Abubakar denied any wrongdoing.
In a statement shared on social media, he described Ohiri’s allegations as false and misleading. He said he had, in fact, supported her during her legal challenges, including efforts to secure her release from detention.
Abubakar explained that he was involved in mediation efforts aimed at resolving the dispute between Ohiri and Umahi.
According to him, the minister maintained that he was not indebted to Ohiri and would only make any payment if a court established the existence of a valid contract.
“He insisted that he wasn’t owing her and wouldn’t pay unless she can establish the existence of a contract,” Abubakar said.
He added that during the mediation process, he found no evidence of a formal agreement or proof that the minister directly engaged Ohiri’s services.
Abubakar also addressed the issue of the alleged $70,000 payment mentioned by Ohiri.
He said the money was provided by a third party, identified as Joseph Ekumankama, as part of efforts to resolve the matter peacefully. He stressed that the payment was not an admission of liability by the minister.
He further denied benefiting financially from the arrangement and claimed that Ohiri later demanded a much higher sum.
According to him, she threatened to damage his reputation if her demands were not met.
Abubakar said he is considering legal action over the allegations made against him.
The case has raised broader concerns about the handling of disputes involving public officials and private individuals in Nigeria.
It also raises questions about the role of lawyers in mediation processes and the need for ethical standards in resolving disputes.
The controversy has sparked discussions on social media, with Nigerians expressing different opinions on the matter.
While some have called for a thorough investigation into the allegations, others have urged caution, noting that the claims from both sides have not been independently verified.
The involvement of public figures and the serious nature of the allegations have kept the issue in the public spotlight.
For now, the dispute remains unresolved, with conflicting accounts from the businesswoman and the lawyer, as well as earlier denials from the minister.