Former Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji, has accused the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, Hon. Obi Aguocha, of allegedly selling two trailer loads of Federal Government palliative rice meant for vulnerable constituents.
Orji, in a strongly worded public statement, challenged Aguocha to include him in the legal action reportedly threatened against former Abia State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Ogbonna, popularly known as Evulogu Ibeku, over similar allegations.
The former Speaker alleged that the rice, provided by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal, was diverted and sold to businessmen from Anambra State rather than distributed to the intended beneficiaries.
According to Orji, Aguocha has failed to provide evidence showing how the rice was distributed across the three local government areas that make up the federal constituency.
“Hon. Obi Aguocha sold our two trailer loads of Federal Government palliative rice meant for the poor people of Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South Federal Constituency,” Orji alleged.
“You did not share it. You sold it to Anambra businessmen. There is no distribution list. There is no ward breakdown. There is no village breakdown,” he added.
Orji challenged the federal lawmaker to publish the number of bags allegedly distributed to each ward, the names of village heads who received the rice, the dates of distribution and photographic evidence of the exercise.
He maintained that residents of communities including Ariam, Oboro, Oloko, Ibeku, Ohuhu, Ubakala and Olokoro deserved to know what happened to the palliatives allocated to their constituency.
Reacting to Aguocha’s reported allegations of cyberbullying against Chief Ogbonna, Orji accused the lawmaker of applying double standards, alleging that he and his supporters had repeatedly made damaging statements against him and his father, former Abia State Governor, Senator Theodore Ahamefula Orji.
He referenced an ongoing court case at the Abia State High Court, Umuahia, with suit number HU/69C/2024, stating that he and his father pleaded not guilty on February 28, 2025, and had not been convicted of any offence.
Orji also accused Aguocha’s supporters of spreading false reports that he had been assaulted by military personnel and flown abroad for treatment, describing the alleged reports as another form of cyberbullying.
The former Speaker subsequently challenged Aguocha to institute legal proceedings against him alongside Chief Ogbonna, insisting that he was prepared to defend his allegations in court.
“Obi Aguocha, I am not hiding. Include me in that legal action you threatened. Sue me together with Evulogu Ibeku. Sue me. Take me to Abia State High Court, Umuahia, tomorrow,” he declared.
He further stated that he would appear in court with constituents, including market women, youths and community elders, while challenging Aguocha to produce documentary evidence of the rice distribution.
“Let the court decide: Did you sell our rice or did you share it?” Orji asked.
He insisted that threats of legal action would not stop him from demanding accountability over the palliatives, accusing the federal lawmaker of poor representation.
“No amount of press statement about cyberbullying will cover malnutritious representation,” he stated.
The allegations come amid growing political exchanges between Aguocha and opposition figures in Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Orji, who is seeking to represent the constituency on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), maintained his allegations and challenged Aguocha to seek legal redress.
The allegations against Aguocha remain unproven, and no documentary evidence establishing the alleged sale of the rice was provided in Orji’s statement.
Aguocha’s response to Orji’s latest allegations was not included in the statement.
