A group of protesters from communities in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State on Monday gave the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, 72 hours to withdraw a defamation suit against Darlington Onyebuchi Agoha, threatening to sustain their demonstrations if their demand is not met.
The protesters marched to the Abia State High Court premises in Umuahia, the state capital, expressing concern that the suit was intended to silence a citizen who questioned the quality and completion of a Federal Government-funded road project in Nkpa community.

Agoha’s lawyer, Vincent Bernard Nwabueze, told journalists at the court premises that the suit was filed by Reverend Emmanuel Trumps Eke, Director-General of Kalu’s campaign council for the 2027 House of Representatives election in Bende Federal Constituency. Kalu is the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the constituency.
Nwabueze described the legal action as an attempt to intimidate his client for raising concerns about the alleged poor execution and incomplete state of a Federal Government road project in Nkpa.

According to the lawyer, Agoha had complained that the road was poorly constructed and left incomplete despite claims that the contractor had received full payment. He said his client’s concerns were driven by the hardship the road’s condition had imposed on residents.
Nwabueze maintained that the matter was in the public interest, arguing that attention should focus on whether the project was properly executed and whether the community received value for public funds.

He further alleged that some young people who expressed concerns about the project had faced threats, adding that his client attended court amid fears of possible arrest.
The protest was organised by the Abia State chapter of the Niger Delta Mobilisation Team (NIMOT) for Good Leadership, whose motto is “Transparency, Accountability and Good Governance”.

Carrying placards, the protesters called for the withdrawal of the suit, insisting that Agoha was being taken to court for demanding accountability over a Federal Government-funded ecological project in the area.
Some of the placards read: “We Stand With Darlington Onyebuchi Agoha, The Voice Of Bende”; “Emma Trump Eke, You Cannot Sue Darlington Agoha To Silence Him”; and “The Court Is For Justice, Not For Bullying Public Advocates Like Agoha”.

Addressing journalists on behalf of the protesters, NIMOT’s Abia State chairman, Dickson Kalu Uwakwe, said the people of Bende elected Kalu to represent their interests and address the developmental challenges confronting their communities.
He argued that elected representatives should remain open to public scrutiny, stressing that citizens had the right to question the management of public funds and the quality of projects executed in their communities.

Uwakwe alleged that several roads constructed in Bende deteriorated within six months of completion, raising concerns about the quality of the work and the utilisation of funds allocated to the projects.
He specifically questioned the execution of an ecological fund project along the Bende-Nkpa Road, alleging that the project, initially expected to cover about 13 kilometres, extended to only eight kilometres.

He also claimed that a bridge constructed as part of the project collapsed about six months after completion.
Uwakwe questioned why Agoha’s demand for explanations about the road project and the collapsed bridge had resulted in legal action against him.

He further alleged that some residents had faced intimidation over the dispute. According to him, security operatives had previously been brought in to arrest an individual, but intervention by people from Bende prevented the situation from escalating.
The protesters threatened to extend their demonstrations to other communities in Bende and petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if the suit was not withdrawn within 72 hours.

Uwakwe insisted that their action was motivated by concerns about accountability in public projects rather than electoral politics. He added that the protesters had expected Kalu to appear at the court premises to hear their grievances directly.
In his reaction, Eke described the protest over the defamation suit involving Kalu as part of democratic culture, acknowledging the protesters’ right to demonstrate peacefully.

However, he maintained that individuals also had the right to protect their reputations if they believed their names had been defamed.
Eke said the decision to institute the suit was intended to protect his integrity, particularly as a public servant. He added that he was unaware of any move to resolve the dispute through mediation.