Pressure is mounting on Hon. Obi Aguocha, the Member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal Constituency, as the Nkwoachara Ward Development Union has formally requested the National Assembly to provide detailed information on the funds and palliatives allocated to their constituency. The request, made under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, covers funds, allocations, and projects released to Hon. Aguocha from June 2023 to August 2024.
The Nkwoachara Ward Development Union, located in Umuawa Alaocha, Ohuhu, Umuahia North LGA, Abia State, submitted the letter through their legal representatives, Chijioke Udeogu & Co. Solicitors, Arbitrators, and Legal Consultants. The community is also seeking specific details on constituency projects and palliatives approved for the Abia Central Senatorial District, which directly impacts them.
The community’s dissatisfaction with Hon. Aguocha has been growing, with accusations that he has failed to meet the expectations of those who elected him in 2023. The Union’s concerns were further exacerbated when it was reported that other constituencies received palliatives from the Federal Government, while Hon. Aguocha claimed that Ikwuano/Umuahia was excluded from these allocations.
The FOI request, obtained by Naijadailyng247 states:
“We have been briefed and our services retained by the Nkwoachara Ward Development Union in Nkwoachara Ward, Umuawa Alaocha, Ohuhu, in Umuahia North LGA, Abia State (hereinafter called our client), whose firm instruction is to write to you in exercise of their right to information under Section 1 of the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, to obtain information which forms part of records about your activities and operations, domiciled in your official custody as the administrative/secretarial head of the National Assembly in Nigeria.
“Our client is the Town Union Organization within the Umuawa Alaocha in Ohuhu town in Umuahia North LGA, Abia State. Our client is part of the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, and her Representative at the House of Representatives is Hon. Obi Aguocha.
“As a part of the beneficiary constituency (Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency), our client demands to be availed in details, from your official records, about the following information:
“Details of the exact amount and figures approved by the National Assembly and monies disbursed through Senator Austine Akobundu for the benefit of the Abia Central Senatorial District as Constituency Allowance, from June 2023 to August 2024 (this period falls under the budget cycles of 2023 and 2024 Appropriation Acts, respectively).
“Details of all Constituency projects executed and ongoing and the officially approved sums for each of those projects, from June 2023 to August 2024.
“Details of all palliatives and other forms of Social Welfare packages approved and released by the National Assembly for the Abia Central Senatorial District for the period under review.
“It is instructive for you to note that Section 2 of the Act statutorily mandates you to have kept the aforementioned records as part of your activities, operations, and businesses.
“And by Section 3 of the Act, you are statutorily mandated, as an authorized official of the National Assembly, to oblige our client of the aforementioned information within 7 days.
“It is our client’s further instruction that we shall be adhering strictly to the time allowed by law for granting this application, failing which, you shall be deemed to have refused to give access to public information and thereby impeded the quest for transparency and accountability as a public official. And we shall be left with no option but to commence legal proceedings against you and your institution.”
As the clock ticks down on the seven-day deadline for a response, the community’s demand for transparency could have serious implications for Hon. Aguocha and the National Assembly if they fail to comply.
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