John Nwaigwe
FMC, Ikwuano Bill: Stop Your Deceptive, Premature Celebrations, Chinedum Orji Slams Aguocha
The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Ikwuano/Umuahia Federal Constituency, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Orji, has slammed the current member representing the constituency, Hon. Obi Aguocha, over his recent victory lap on social media following the alleged legislative passage of HB 1605.
In a press release issued by his media team, Orji declared that the passage of a bill by the National Assembly does not automatically make it an Act of Parliament. He firmly stated that Aguocha must stop his premature, deceptive celebrations until the bill is formally transmitted and assented to by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Calling out Aguocha, Orji described the lawmaker’s present loud and vulgar celebrations across social media platforms as both premature, vulgar and deeply deceptive. According to Orji, this public grandstanding is a calculated attempt to hoodwink the people of the Ikwuano/Umuahia North/South constituency and distract them from questioning why the over ₦2 billion meant for capital projects for the Constituency in 2025 and 2026 that should have accrued to the Constituency via the federal budget was not realised
“The passage of HB 1605—a bill to establish a Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Ikwuano—does not call for the kind of loud, vulgar celebrations you have embarked on. It is deceptive and premature,” Orji stated. “The bill has not even been transmitted to Mr. President. It is only after President Bola Tinubu assents to the bill that it becomes law and you can call for celebrations. What are you really celebrating? A proposal that is not yet law, or your abysmal failure to deliver tangible democratic dividends to our people?”
Orji further stressed that active participation in the passage of the annual Federal Budget remains the most critical duty of any National Assembly member to attract real development.
“It is a big disappointment that for three years you have failed to attract any significant capital project to our constituency,” Orji added. “Admit your failure, apologize to our people, and stop deceiving them on social media with proposed bills that may never see the light of day before the expiration of the 10th National Assembly.”
Background
The backlash follows a statement by Hon. Obi Aguocha expressing gratitude to the leadership of the National Assembly after the Senate concurred on HB 1605 on July 16, 2026. The bill, first introduced in the House of Representatives on July 17, 2024, seeks to establish a Federal Medical Centre in Ikwuano, Abia State.
While Aguocha celebrated the legislative milestone on social media as a step toward expanding healthcare access and creating local employment, critics and political opponents maintain that taking a victory lap before executive assent is misleading to the electorate.
