Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, has dismissed allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him, stating that there is nothing inherently wrong with being accused of pursuing a woman.
Umahi spoke with journalists on Saturday while responding to claims made by a woman identified as Tracy Nither Ohiri, who accused him of sexual harassment.
Defending himself, the minister insisted that he does not owe anyone and has never harassed any person during his years in public office.
“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.
Reflecting on his tenure as governor, Umahi said his record should speak in his defence.
“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 allegation more directly, Umahi argued that being accused of pursuing a woman is not, in itself, 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,” he said.
He further described the controversy as a social media issue and urged Nigerians to focus on global developments instead.
“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.
