By Tony Okafor, Awka
A controversy has erupted over the status of an Umuawulu road project reportedly attracted through the legislative intervention of the member representing Awka North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Prof. Oby Lilian Orogbu.
The controversy followed a publication by a constituent, Ikechukwu Augustine Obah, questioning the whereabouts and status of the road project, which he said was among projects publicly presented in connection with Orogbu’s legislative interventions.
Obah, in the publication dated October 3, 2026, recalled that on February 21, 2025, Orogbu announced the commissioning of three projects said to have been attracted through her intervention.
He listed them as the renovation of two classrooms at Ezi-Awka Secondary School, Awka; the 500-metre Holy Family Youth Road, Amansea; and the Umuawulu Road.
Obah, however, questioned why the Umuawulu Road was not among the projects commissioned on that occasion and demanded clarification on its present status, funding and implementation.
According to him, constituents have the right to know the projects attracted to the constituency, their locations, budgetary provisions, implementing agencies and implementation status, particularly where public funds are involved.
But Orogbu’s camp has rejected the publication as misleading, insisting that the constituent confused projects attracted with projects commissioned.
In a response titled “Misleading Publication on Umuawulu Road Project,” Orogbu’s camp said the February 21, 2025 event involved only projects that had been completed and were ready for commissioning.
It listed the renovated classrooms at Ezi-Awka Secondary School and the 500-metre Holy Family Youth Village Access Road, Amansea, as the projects commissioned on that occasion.
The response further stated that the Umuawulu Road was not claimed to have been commissioned on February 21, 2025, but was an intervention captured under Federal Government Zonal Intervention Projects.
It said the project was currently at the procurement and documentation stage with the implementing agency, explaining that constituency projects were implemented by relevant federal ministries, departments and agencies rather than directly by lawmakers.
Orogbu’s camp also challenged Obah’s reference to more than ₦3 billion in annual legislative or constituency allocations for the federal constituency, describing the claim as inaccurate and demanding evidence.
It further cited several completed projects and other interventions allegedly facilitated by the lawmaker across communities in the constituency, including Achalla, Okpuno, Ebenebe, Mgbakwu, Isu-Aniocha and Awka.
The dispute has therefore shifted from whether the Umuawulu Road was commissioned in February 2025 to the more fundamental question of the project’s present status, its budgetary provision, implementing agency and timeline for execution.
While Obah is demanding documentary evidence and physical verification of the project, Orogbu’s camp maintains that the road is a genuine federal intervention undergoing the required procurement and documentation processes.
With the 2027 elections approaching, the controversy has added another dimension to the debate over representation, constituency projects and accountability in Awka North and South Federal Constituency.
For now, the central question remains: What is the documented status of the Umuawulu Road project, and when will work commence on the ground?
