In a firm response to the recent viral video involving activist Omoyele Sowore, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has dismissed claims that he used the police to settle a personal vendetta. According to the Minister’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nwaze, the security agencies were simply carrying out their constitutional duties following a formal petition.
The controversy stems from allegations made by a woman identified as Tracy Ohiri, who accused the Minister of assault and failing to pay for campaign materials. Nwaze clarified to Reports that these claims are not new and have been circulating on social media since last year. He pointed out that Mrs. Ohiri’s accounts of the alleged incidents have been inconsistent and contradictory, leading the Minister to seek legal redress through a formal petition.
The Minister’s aide explained that the police are currently investigating the matter in line with standard legal procedures. This process included the arrest of Mrs. Ohiri and a subsequent invitation to the Minister to provide an official statement. Nwaze noted that the recent public confrontation staged by Sowore was a calculated attempt to provoke the Minister and create a “public spectacle” over a case that is already being handled by the appropriate authorities.
In the statement shared with Reports, the Minister’s team criticized the activist’s approach, describing it as “performative activism” designed to chase relevance rather than uncover the truth. They argued that genuine activism should be rooted in balance and integrity, not in indiscriminate attacks on public officials or the disruption of lawful investigations.
Despite the social media storm, Senator Umahi reportedly remained calm and refused to engage in the theatrics, choosing instead to let the institutional process run its course. His office maintained that the facts of the case would eventually come to light through the police investigation.
For now, the Minister of Works intends to stay focused on his primary mandate of infrastructure delivery across the country. According to his media team, he will not allow “calculated provocations” to distract him from his duties or his commitment to the rule of law.
