Chief Charles Ogbonna (Evuleogu) Has Said It On Video, Now Aguocha Must Answer or Go To Court – By Mandate 27 Group 

Chief Charles Ogbonna (Evuleogu) Has Said It On Video, Now Aguocha Must Answer or Go To Court – By Mandate 27 Group

For years, the people of Ikwuano, Umuahia North and Umuahia South have been asking one question in whispers, in shouts, and in every village meeting where hunger was discussed: where is our rice? In a video released yesterday, Chief Charles Ogbonna (Evuleogu) put his face and his name to the allegation that Hon. Obi Aguocha diverted the constituency’s rice. For many in this constituency, it was not news. It was confirmation.

Let us be clear that the matter did not start with Chief Ogbonna (Evuleogu). In August 2024, Aguocha’s own media office admitted that a planned protest was about alleged lack of constituency projects, accountable representation, and the management of rice palliatives in the constituency. Notice what followed. There was no distribution list, no breakdown of bags received, and no names of beneficiaries. There was only a lecture about paid agents, posh hotels and mischief makers. When a man is asked about rice and answers with accusations about hotels, the people are entitled to wonder what he is protecting.

Rice meant for the poor is not a campaign souvenir. It is not a favour to be shared among cousins, aides and political loyalists. It is a public palliative, and a representative who handles it owes the people a full account. Every bag leaves a trail, from the warehouse to the truck to the ward to the household. If the trail is clean, publishing it should take a single afternoon. If it takes years of silence and excuses, the people will draw their own conclusions.

This is a representative who, more than three years into his tenure, is still being asked in the press to produce a scorecard of what he has attracted to the constituency. Constituents want to know what they have received and where they can see the evidence. A man with a record does not run from such questions. He answers them with receipts.

So here is the challenge from Chief Ogbonna (Evuleogu), and it is the sharpest one a public officer can face: sue him. Aguocha has spent years speaking of his hard work and clean conscience. Let him prove it where it counts, before a judge, with documents and witnesses. Nigerian law has remedies for defamation, and an innocent man with a genuine reputation to protect should be the first to run to court. If Chief Ogbonna (Evuleogu) cannot prove what he said in that video, let him bear the consequences. But if he can, the honourable member must not be allowed to hide behind press statements and proxies.

Because here is the uncomfortable truth for the incumbent. Every day that passes without a lawsuit, without a published distribution list, and without a straight answer, the silence grows louder than any denial. A man who threatens critics with sponsorship stories but refuses to open his books has already told the people something. Courts do not care about slogans. They care about proof.

The constituents are not begging for charity. They are demanding accountability for food meant for their children, widows and elders. They have been patient, they have been observant, and they have long memories. The honourable member can answer with evidence, or he can answer with silence. The people will read both.