The Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has faulted a recent “field tracking” report on Federal Government projects in Bende Federal Constituency by Tracka, describing it as politically motivated, misleading and deliberately done.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Office said the report which has now been deleted from Tracka’s Facebook page barely 24 hours after it was published on July 15, 2026 for reasons yet to be ascertained is a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
The Office added that the report reflected a misunderstanding of how federal projects are executed and dismissed the assertion that the 2km Amaeke–Isiegbu–Umuhu Ezechi Road showed signs of abandoned work that stopped in 2024.
The Office said: “What has been presented as field tracking is, in reality, neither objective tracking nor credible fieldwork. Rather, it reads like a political pamphlet cloaked in the language of accountability.
“The road has been fully completed and commissioned. It is fully motorable and is used daily by farmers, traders, students, and other members of the community. To describe this project as abandoned in 2026 is to ignore the reality experienced every day by the very people the report claims to represent”.
On the allegations that garri processing centres at Ezeukwu and Umuhu Ezechi do not exist, the Office also explained that the physical structures of the project have been completed.
“The project was initially misclassified by the relevant implementing Ministry, Department, or Agency (MDA), an issue that has since been corrected. The physical structures are now 100% completed. What remains is the delivery and installation of the processing equipment, a procurement process that falls entirely within the responsibility of the implementing MDA.
“To suggest that a project has not been delivered simply because the final equipment installation is pending reflects either a misunderstanding of how Federal Government capital projects are executed or a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. The buildings exist, electricity has been connected, and the communities are awaiting commissioning. That is evidence of progress—not failure”, the statement clarified.
The Office also rejected claims that residents have no knowledge of 579 solar streetlights installed across Igbere A, Igbere B, and Ugwueke/Ezeukwu Wards.
“These solar streetlights have been installed and are operational. They illuminate roads, junctions, markets, and residential areas every night. They have strengthened security, encouraged evening commercial activities, and created safer conditions for residents, including students and traders.
“If these installations were not observed during the so-called field assessment, one is left to wonder whether the assessment was conducted in the stated locations at all. Accountability demands diligence, accuracy, and objectivity—not political sensationalism”, the Office stated.
The Office however stressed that the Deputy Speaker’s constitutional duties as a parliamentarian are representation, legislation, oversight, and facilitation of project, not direct project execution.
“Is the Deputy Speaker a contractor? No. Is he the implementing MDA? No. Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu’s role is to attract Federal Government projects, engage relevant MDAs, secure approvals, and ensure that Bende receives its fair share of national development,” it noted.
The statement added that by calling for “facilitated engagement,” the Tracka’s report acknowledges that the Deputy Speaker successfully performed the most difficult task of attracting the projects to Bende to better the lot of his constituents.
“Ironically, by demanding that he “facilitate engagement,” the report inadvertently acknowledges that he successfully performed the most difficult task: attracting these projects to Bende in the first place. The subsequent stages of execution, procurement, and commissioning remain the statutory responsibilities of the implementing MDAs and their contractors.
“Truth has nothing to fear from scrutiny. However, representation should not be criminalized simply because government procurement and implementation processes follow established administrative timelines.
“The timing, tone, and targets of these allegations suggest not a genuine pursuit of truth, but an attempt to undermine the visible progress being recorded across Bende Federal constituency”, the statement said.
The Office therefore invited the authors of the report to objectively revisit the project sites to ascertain the truth.
“The narrative that public funds were disbursed while “nothing was done” is not supported by the facts on the ground. It is a manufactured narrative that seeks to erase visible achievements and diminish the efforts that have brought meaningful development to Bende.
“We therefore invite the authors of the report to revisit these project sites with objectivity. Visit the communities after sunset and witness the solar streetlights in operation. Drive along the completed Amaeke–Isiegbu–Umuhu Ezechi Road. Inspect the completed cassava processing facilities. Speak with the residents whose daily lives have been positively impacted by these interventions.
“Public funds should indeed translate into meaningful development for the people. In Bende, they are doing exactly that.
“Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu never claimed he would serve as a contractor. He promised to be an effective representative and advocate for his constituents. Through sustained engagement with the Federal Government, Bende has benefited from roads, solar lighting, and agro-industrial infrastructure that are transforming communities.
“Let us continue to demand accountability. Let us insist on timely execution by the relevant MDAs. Let us debate policy and governance with facts, not fiction. What we must never do is deny the existence of projects that are standing in plain sight.
“Bende is watching. More importantly, the people of Bende know the difference between genuine public service and politically motivated misinformation”, the statement added.
