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“Aro/Ohafia 2026, Why Osonwa Should Run Faster and Return Home”
Osonwa
Lately, there has been an escalation of voices from Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency of Abia State, expressing deep anger, frustration and dissatisfaction over what they term the abysmally poor performance of Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa, the lawmaker representing them at the House of Representatives. Against that backdrop, they are calling for his return home from Abuja, passionately appealing to constituents not to vote for him in the January Presidential and National Assembly Election.
One case they have brought against Osonwa is his alleged zero action ever since the people of Isu in Arochukwu Local Government Area were invaded and sacked from their ancestral land by certain fighters from neighbouring Cross River State. According to them, the lawmaker, who is supposed to be the eye of the people and their voice in Abuja, has made no single move to assist the people, not even paying a visit to Isu. As it stands today, most of the land of the Isu people is inaccessible to them, as hunger and starvation have become their lot.
For those who do not know, Isu occupies a strategic position in not only Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, but also Abia and Nigeria at large. Isu has what geologists describe as the best form of limestone deposit, and its vast and fertile agricultural land puts the community ahead as the food basket of the constituency. Before their invasion and sack, dealers in agricultural produce were trooping to Isu to buy garri, plantain, fufu, vegetables and assorted types of aquatic and non-aquatic edible animals, including snails, molluscs and fish.
The Argungu Festival has today become a flagship fishing festival in Nigeria, which big multinationals sponsor. But Isu has the potential to host a fishing festival bigger than Argungu. Isu has three big lakes filled with fish, and every year, there were fishing festivals in these lakes known as Okpa Ukwu, Okpa Nta, and Okpa Bu Okpa. Imagine the kind of tourism opportunities these would bring to the people if the likes of MTN, banks, and other multinationals could come to be part of these fishing festivals. Imagine if the banners of these big companies were displayed and the people were fishing amid television coverage. But this good experience that could yield millions of naira in eco-tourism has been lost because, as of today, those areas cannot be accessed. Those who tried to go there to fish never returned alive.
From Isu in Arochukwu, we come to Ohafia, where our people have been given the bad name of being a strong base for the violent IPOB movement, and with that false frame-up and allegation, the military have at different times opened fire on innocent people. These are issues that Osonwa should use his position to bring to the National Assembly.
Interstate boundary issues like the one in Isu are settled by the Federal Government through the National Boundary Commission, working with the affected state governments. Yet, for these three years, this lawmaker has not made a simple mention of these issues on the floor of the National Assembly.
Sometime in the past, I made a social media post in which I tried to lend my voice to the issue of poor representation, as consistently raised by the people. A few minutes after my post showed up online, a certain person whom I suggested to be a part of Osonwa’s media team reacted, saying that it is not easy to bring home federal presence. That the National Assembly is tough and competitive, adding that Osonwa was trying his best. I asked him to show me what he had done that made him say that he was trying. But he never responded till today.
However, the next thing that we saw that emanated from his camp was a report of Hon. Osonwa distributing some farm equipment and other relief materials. That, to me, is welcome and most appreciated. However, it should be clarified that the people of Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, as well as other constituencies, don’t expect their representatives to give them something from their pockets. If they give, it’s a gift, but not a priority. The core mandate of lawmakers is to make laws for the good of the people, engage in oversight functions and, most importantly, be the voice of their constituency in bringing federal presence to their constituency.
I did a Google search to know some of the achievements of Hon. Osonwa as regards his core mandate. What was recorded against him was his support for motions on anti-corruption and gender-related legislation as well as a few other interventions including gifts of farm equipment and transformers.
 Yes, Nigeria needs a corruption-free society, as corruption has remained a major problem undermining the delivery of good governance in Nigeria. Likewise, gender-based issues need to be given attention. But these should not be on the number-one agenda of a lawmaker representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, where there are fundamental and existential issues. Doing so would amount to the case of the proverbial man chasing a rate when his house is on fire.
It is in the light of this that the so-called distribution of farm equipment seems to be attracting more criticism than accolade from the constituents of Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency. Many are saying it is a failed empowerment scheme, and that it is, after all, for the purpose of campaigning to win re-election.
Arochukwu/Ohafia is suffering more due to bad roads. If not that there was Governor Alex Otti, who came to turn a lot of things around, the problem would have been more serious. But it is on record that the only federal road connecting the two local governments has suffered neglect for ages, suffocating the socioeconomic life of our people.
Now, addressing the case that Hon. Osonwa has not been able to impress because of the claim that it is tough there at both the Red and Green Chambers of the National Assembly, I think it is about who is involved. We cannot rule out the fact that it is a whole lot of stiff competition over there, because it implies that all the constituencies across the nation’s six geopolitical zones and the FCT send their best, who are battle-ready to get something for their people. This means those going there should be people of influence who have what it takes to engage, collaborate and negotiate at the highest level. He or she must be charismatic, knowledgeable and have the ability to build alliances with others. If we have such a person who sacrifices to make friends with fellow lawmakers from other constituencies, it will make the work so easy. If he or she raises a motion or legislation on the floor of the National Assembly, his/her friends would support it and, with that, the bill or motion gets approval.
Many are criticising Osonwa’s inability to present or bring the concerns of Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency to Aso Rock for attention, to the fact that probably he came unprepared or that he lacks the competence to engage at the highest level as required in the House. Those with this opinion base their argument on the fact that he is among the many federal lawmakers that had an easy win during the 2023 general election, capitalising on the Peter Obi influence and Obidient factor to win. During the 2023 election, all manner of persons fielded by the Labour Party (LP), including okada riders and some alleged commoners, were able to become federal lawmakers, capitalising on the popularity of Peter Obi as the presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party. Osonwa came through that process too.
Now, someone may ask, why should we complain now that it is Osonwa’s turn? No one is witch-hunting him, and no one has reason to. People are complaining more now because there is an increase in political consciousness in Abia North, where Arochukwu/Ohafia belongs. People are beginning to ask questions. They want to know what those representing them in Abuja have been able to bring back home compared to what their counterparts elsewhere are doing.
I am aware that there are a thousand and one social media groups, especially on WhatsApp, where our people in Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency are in 24-hour daily meetings, strategising on how the politicians they are supporting will win. I happen to find myself in many of them, as people added me even without my permission. From my observation, our people are dissatisfied with the quality of service they are getting from the people representing them in Abuja, from Osonwa to Orji Uzor Kalu.
Today, Arochukwu/Ohafia has capable people who can give them purposeful representation in Abuja. In the Book of Kings, we read how God stepped down Prophet Elijah, replacing him with Elisha. Elijah had told God that he was the only prophet left in the whole of Israel, but God told him that no matter the number of people that had turned away from Him, there would always be at least 7,000 righteous people in Israel.
 So, no person should consider himself or herself as being indispensable, and Osonwa, based on his performance, his people want him out. According to them, another four years is such a long time for our people to keep gambling with one who has nothing to offer us. Lately, it was in the news that Hon. Babajimi Benson of Ikorodu Constituency is able to attract an immigration office to Ikorodu, tarred many roads, expanded infrastructure, facilitated scholarships and empowered transporters and artisans in just one tenure. Omogeye, who is representing Amuwo-Odofin Federal Constituency in one tenure, has equally done a lot, including roads and others. Omogeye happens to be in the same Labour Party as Osonwa. Both had easy wins through Peter Obi.
If Osonwa should win re-election, our people are sceptical about what he can bring home again after a woeful performance in the first term. They are even more afraid that since the empowerment scheme he delivered came from his pocket, he would probably use the second term to recover what he spent on the failed initiative. That is why the people want him back home. As his name “Osonwa” means “a running son,” the people of Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency want him to run faster home, so that a more capable person can represent them in the House of Representatives and bring federal intervention to give them good roads, protect their people in border communities, among other things they need to enhance their socioeconomic well-being.
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