A businesswoman, Tarcy Ohiri, has withdrawn her earlier allegations of sexual harassment and unpaid contract claims against the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.
In a video statement released on Wednesday, Ohiri said she decided to retract the claims after consulting with her family, friends, and legal advisers, as well as reviewing the events surrounding the matter over the past two weeks.
Ohiri clarified that Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, did not threaten her or suggest that she could face similar consequences as the Neyland engineers if she visited the state.
“I admit that Engineer Dave Umahi, the former governor of Ebonyi State and the current Minister of Works, did not inform me that what happened to the Neyland engineers would happen to me if I visit Ebonyi State,” she said.
She explained that she does not personally know the Neyland engineers and only learned about them through online reports and information shared by others.
Ohiri also apologised to the minister for the controversy that followed her initial allegations.
“I apologise to Engineer Dave Umahi for the embarrassment this allegation may have caused him and his family,” she said. “I sincerely apologise to his family, to my own family, friends, and everyone who felt caught up and embarrassed by what happened.”
She further clarified that she never alleged that the minister met her in a hotel room wearing only a towel, noting that some aspects of the story may have been exaggerated or taken out of context.
On the issue of an alleged unpaid contract, Ohiri acknowledged that there was no formally signed agreement between her and the minister.
“Although the job was done and delivered to his aides, they might have used the material for campaign purposes without informing him, and without him knowing about it,” she said.
Ohiri added that her family has decided to move on from the issue and appealed to the public to respect their decision.
The retraction comes days after her earlier claims triggered widespread debate on social media and prompted a strong response from Umahi, who had dismissed the allegations as false and politically motivated.
