Nothing Wrong Being Accused of Chasing a Woman, Says Umahi

Nothing Wrong Being Accused of Chasing a Woman, Says Umahi

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has rejected allegations of sexual harassment made against him, maintaining that there is nothing inherently wrong in being accused of pursuing a woman.

Umahi spoke to journalists on Saturday while responding to claims by a woman identified as Tracy Nither Ohiri, who accused him of inappropriate conduct.

The former Ebonyi State governor firmly denied the allegation, stressing that throughout his years in public office, no one had ever accused him of harassment.

“I want to thank a lot of you who know me very well. I owe nobody. And of course, I presided over both men and women, and nobody ever said I harassed him or her,” he said.

Pointing to his record in office, Umahi argued that his performance as governor should speak for itself.

“I was governor for eight years, and I did fantastic infrastructure. So nobody could come and accuse me wrongly unless the person is being mischievous,” he added.

Addressing the accusation directly, the minister said being described as someone “chasing a woman” does not automatically amount to wrongdoing.

“There is nothing wrong to say, oh, you are chasing a woman. If it’s Senator Natasha that said I’m chasing her, my face would be bolder, not anyhow person that’ll accuse this handsome man of chasing her for 12 years,” Umahi stated.

He dismissed the controversy as largely driven by social media narratives and called on Nigerians to pay attention to more pressing global matters.

“It’s just for social media, but I think we can turn our attention to the war in Iran and allow Umahi to rest,” he said.

The allegation has generated reactions online, though there has been no indication of any formal legal proceedings as of press time.