02/03/2026
MRS TRACY OHIRI, SOWORE, VDM AND THIER DANCE OF INFAMY.
From every indication, it is obvious that what been unleashed on the person of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator Engr Umahi on the social media in the last few days is a well orchestrated hatchet job deployed by opposition elements looking for opportunities to cause the star of the ruling administration reputational damage.
If it were not so, how come that two individuals, namely;Sowore and VDM who have been struggling to make Nigerians accept them as defenders of the rule of Law, jumped into the fray of Umahi bashing without bothering to interogate the veracity of the claims of Mrs Ohiri.
How come that Sowore and VDM did not ask, what if this is another case of 'Lanre Adeniyi?', who the same Mrs Ohiri came to the social media to publicly apologise to after defaming him, but the duo went ahead to enlist and deploy the services of their orchestra of professional demonstrators against Umahi.
Yes, how come that VDM who a few days ago unravelled the falsehood behind the r**e claims of a young girl in his platform, did not ask this woman to present to the public the items she claims she made for Umahi, atleast one of them nor the contractual documents?
That this self acclaimed defenders of the rule of Law have continued to trend an issue that is before the Court without bothering that it is sub - judice and an abuse of the tenets of free speech, simply portrays them as people who invoke the rule of Law when it suites them, thus making their advocacy, selective.
Has Sowore's stance changed since he discovered that Mrs Ohiri was charged to Court the following day after his misplaced outburst? The answer is no, a pointer to the fact that his presence at the Police conference room was not coincidental but planned and his outburst deliberately deployed to subtly shift sympathy and credibility away from the victim.
One question that should be agitating our mind is, " would Sowore, and indeed, VDM have preferred that Umahi should resort to self help, such as Nigerian’s witnessed in Bayelsa State?
What is an urbane, civilised and Law abiding Citizen, such as Umahi expected to do in the face of Cyber bullying, character assassination and undue provocation? Simple, report to the Police. How that amounts to using Police to settle personal score still beats me.
Words as we know them construct social meanings. To jump therefore into conclusions in a matter without facts is to participate, however unintended, in the dilution of the truth. Reasons being that when someone who is believed to be a defender and believer in the rule of Law, introduces doubt where there is no little factual basis for that, it influences how listeners/ readers interpret everything.
Responsible and balanced advocacy for justice demands caution, verification and clarity, particularly, when dealing with allegations, to do otherwise, distorts reality and postpones nay destroys honest reckoning.
It is sad that many in their frenzy to indict Senator Umahi have not interrogated the allegations nor waited for judicial culpability but rather have sacrificed ethical considerations on partisan alters and commercial incentives.
Though most of the claims made by Mrs Ohiri about Engr Umahi are things you could get in the public domain, her claim that Umahi was Deputy Governor for eight years is a blatant lie.
The profile of Umahi at the time he declared his interest to run for the Governor of Ebonyi State was soaring at the high heavens. The campaigns can be declared as a mass movement without any equivocation. It still remains the most expensive Campaign in the history of Ebonyi State. Money flowed. Vehicles of different types and makes were given out to stakeholders and party leaders for keep till date.
Pray, how much is the School fees of Mrs Ohiri's children that could produce campaign materials, that Umahi did not have. Umahi even before he became Party Chairman was a money man, no less a person than Chief Martin Elechi said it in National Television, that Umahi used his personal money to run the then PDP whose State Chairman he was. Umahi had State of the arts Hotels. Umahi was the CEO of thriving Companies in the Oil & Gas and Construction industry.
Loathe or like Senator Umahi, his discipline in record keeping is unassailable. His guber campaign in 2014/ 15 was not a one man business. It was not a solo guber race. It was modern, professional and properly organised with many departments headed by individuals who are still alive and kicking. All gifts and donations in cash and materials were always recorded by the various department heads and acknowledgements for them sent to such donors. The same thing happened to the least of items produced for the Campaign, they had their files where every detail was kept.
I have had the privilege of working with Engr Senator Umahi since 2002 and can attest to the fact that he files even things I consider superfluous. He is that detailed in his records keeping. As such, I state without the fear of contradiction that Mrs Ohiri's claims remains false.
Digital creator
