“I Demand An Independent Verification Of The Projects You Published” —Iheanyi Chinasa Tells Benjamin Kalu

A concerned constituent and a former House of Representatives candidate for Bende Federal Constituency, Chief Iheanyi Chinasa has demanded an independent media verification of the projects of the member representing Bende Federal Constituency, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

Chief Iheanyi made the demand on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 during a telephone chat with journalists in Umuahia.

His demand is coming on the heels of the publication by the Deputy Speaker, where he listed his constituency projects for his Bende constituents.

“I demand to have an independent media verification audit to all the projects. Let’s send an independent media committee. If he’s not willing to sponsor it, I will pay for it. I will sponsor it myself. Let them go and confirm those purported submissions by the deputy speaker.”

Chief Chinasa who is the Liaison Officer of the Abia State Government at the National Assembly, Abuja demanded that the deputy Speaker provide a video and pictorial evidence of all the projects he has attracted and executed in Bende Federal Constituency.

According to him, there is need for an independent media tour of the project sites, for an on the spot assessment.

The former Labour Party House of Representatives candidate in the 2023 elections said it was necessary to do so, offering to sponsor the project tour.

Dogo, as he is fondly called by Admirers said his demand is not political, rather as a concerned citizen and as one who came from Bende Federal Constituency.

“Okay. If it’s heavy on him, we need to do that, and I’m very, very willing to pay the cost to see that this is done. This is beyond politics now, and I’m coming just as a citizen from that federal constituency.”

The Abia born politician clearly expressed his misgivings on the lost of projects published by Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

“I need them to be verified by an independent body. So we can get this. Okay. Let’s know if what he’s telling us is okay.”

Speaking further, Chief Iheanyi also demanded that the federal lawmaker make public, his allocations, his own constituency budget and the cost of the projects.

“Okay, now, secondly, I would like Benjamin Kalu, Rt Honourable, to tell us what his own allocations are. The projects and things that he has in his own budget. Let him give us the cost of each of those projects.”

He alleged that the Federal Lawmaker has received several billions of naira for constituency projects. He also alleged that some of the projects were already captured in the national budget and also financed by the federal government which according to him were not executed and the money disappeared into thin air

“Because it’s not 1 billion naira, it’s 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s of billions of naira.Hmm. Let him give us even the ones he has gradually enumerated.This is aside from other emoluments.”

He went on to mention the Uzuakoli Erosion site as one of the projects in Bende Constituency captured in the national budget. He demanded that Hon. Benjamin Kalu give an account of his stewardship so far in office as the member representing Bende Federal Constituency.

Chief Chinasa emphasized that it is the right of the citizens (constituents) to hold their representative accountable, adding that as a concerned member of the constituency, he was holding Hon. Benjamin Kalu accountable.

“He is not an arbiter of himself. He is accountable to the people of Bendek.Just like I am, he’s accusing the government of not fully, you know, putting in or using the money that comes to the government. He’s accusing the governor of not using the money fully. So he himself should also account for all the, you know, all the things put in the That is precisely what I’m trying to say. Everything he has in his office, let him come and turn it and tell us what is out for the money.”

Recall that since the visit of the President (represented by the Minister for Works, Engnr Dave Umahi to commission some of the projects executed by the Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti, there has been a war of words between the camp of Dr Alex and and the camp of the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.