Bende Political Stakeholders Slam Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu Over Constituency Projects in Bende

Political tension continues to deepen in Abia State as Bende Political Stakeholders have criticized the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, over what they described as poorly executed constituency projects across Bende Federal Constituency.

According to reports by KEPU KEPU TV, the renewed friction follows Kalu’s recent comments urging Abians to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for making funds available to state governors, describing the president as “the real miracle worker.”

His remarks drew widespread backlash from various political quarters, including the Abia State Chief Liaison Officer at the National Assembly, Chief Iheanyi Chinasa, who challenged the Deputy Speaker to provide verifiable evidence of his constituency projects and their costs.

Chief Chinasa further invited Kalu to allow an independent media verification of the projects, even offering to sponsor the inspection if the Deputy Speaker declined to cover the expenses.

In response, Kalu’s Chief Press Secretary, Livinus Nwabughiogu, shared photographs of several projects purportedly executed by the Deputy Speaker on his verified Facebook page.

However, in a follow-up development, the Bende Political Stakeholders conducted what they described as an independent investigation and fact-finding mission to verify the true state of those projects across Bende Federal Constituency, Abia North, and parts of the South-East.

According to the group’s findings, several of the projects were either substandard, incomplete, or already deteriorating, with some allegedly collapsing within a year of completion.

“A visit to Mkpa in Bende Local Government Area revealed a poorly constructed bridge that remains inaccessible, especially during the rainy season,” the group said in a statement.

The stakeholders claimed that photographic evidence from various sites confirmed their position that most of the projects were “haphazardly executed and failed to serve their intended purpose.”

They therefore called on Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu to revisit the affected projects and explain why infrastructure under his supervision failed so quickly, emphasizing that accountability and transparency are essential for effective representation.

“It is disappointing that a person of such national standing would deliver projects that lack quality assurance,” the statement added.

The group urged the Deputy Speaker to prioritize the completion and proper rehabilitation of the affected projects in order to restore public confidence in his representation.

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