The leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo has condemned the recent attack against the Minister of Works, David Umahi by Tracynither Ohiri.
In a statement signed by Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Thompson Ohia, Ohanaeze’s President-General and Spokesperson respectively, the group said it would instigate legal action against Ohiri.
Recall that Ohiri had accused the minister of owing her money running into millions of naira and has since refused to pay because she rejected his sexual advances towards her.
However, in its statement, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo while dismissing the allegations against Umahi issued a warning against any further move to blackmail the minister.
The group accused Ohiri of fabricating lies to obstruct the efforts being made by the minister at the national level.
The group described Ohiri’s allegations as cheap blackmail and urged her to present all substantive evidence to support her claims within the next 48 hours.
The statement said, “Should she fail to comply with this demand, she will incur severe penalties pursuant to our traditional norms. Furthermore, Ms. Ohiri must disclose the identities of those who have incited her actions and tender a full, unreserved apology to Senator Umahi for the egregious harm it has caused to his esteemed reputation.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is currently conducting a thorough investigation into the claims posited by Ms. Ohiri, specifically regarding her assertion of a debt amounting to 200 million naira related to the supply of electioneering promotional materials during Senator Umahi’s bid for the gubernatorial position in Ebonyi State back in 2014,” it said.
The group further called on the minister to remain resolute in his committment to improve the nation’s infrastructure.
“We hereby announce that more stringent penalties, including legal action and traditional sanctions, will be applied to any individual who conspires to publicly ridicule our leaders.
“This course of action is not merely a punitive measure; it is an essential deterrent against those who might allow themselves to be manipulated by adversaries of the Igbo people, thereby jeopardizing the ongoing infrastructural renewal and rehabilitation of essential federal roads across the Southeast,” Ohanaeze Ndigbo stated.
