A civil society organisation, called Igbo Mandate Movement (IMM), has described the petition against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Benjamin Kalu, as sheer political witch-hunt and distraction.
The organisation’s reaction to the petition is contained in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Arinze-Napoleon Igboeli, and made available to newsmen in Awka on Monday.
It stated that the petition was politically motivated and another campaign to sabotage the career of the lawmaker.
Freedomonline recalls that a former First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr John Aikpokpo-Martins, had petitioned the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and National Youth Service Corps, demanding for Kalu’s academic records and proof of service.
But the organisation dismissed John Aikpokpo-Martins’ petition as “frivolous and mischievous”.
It argued that the petition “followed a pattern that trailed Kalu at every stage of his political progression”.
According to the organisation, when Kalu was nominated as a Commissioner in Abia, his detractors claimed that he did not graduate from the University of Calabar.
“This claim was proved wrong when Kalu went ahead to obtain an LL.M and a Ph.D from the same institution and later delivered the 50th Anniversary Convocation Lecture of the same university,” the statement added.
It also stated that when Kalu contested to represent Bende Federal Constituency, it was alleged he did not do his NYSC and that his certificate was forged.
The group contended that the allegation was cleared by the NYSC Director-General, Brig. Gen Y.D Ahmed, who wrote to affirm that Kalu carried out his mandatory one-year service
“The same forces of retrogression have returned with yet another iteration of the same discredited narrative,” it said
It noted that there was no substance in the current petition, adding that after graduating from the University of Calabar in 1998, Kalu, like many others, could not go to Law School immediately because the country operated only one Law School.
The statement maintained that the backlog left many law graduates waiting for years for admission, during which Kalu travelled abroad to acquire further education.
“Upon his return to Nigeria and mobilisation for NYSC in 2010, his admission into Law School came and he did both assignments simultaneously as the locations were close and distinguished himself academically in the Law School.
“He mobilised for NYSC in 2010. He was posted to the Enugu North Local Government Area and served in the office of the Chairman.
“At the same time, by a sheer coincidence, his long-awaited Law School admission came, placing him at the Enugu Campus in Agbani, just a few kilometers away from his NYSC place of primary assignment.
“Deputy Speaker met the monthly NYSC clearance requirements, and exceeded the mandatory 70 per cent Law School attendance threshold,” the group added.
It called for urgent policy reform to address the challenge of a large number of law graduates, who were awaiting admission into Law school to save others from facing a similar ordeal as Kalu
“We call for a reform that will ensure law graduates can go to Law School timely and corps members in the legal profession not punished for navigating a broken system with initiative and good faith.
“The LPDC and NYSC should treat the petition with the contempt it deserves.
“Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu deserves commendation,” the group added.
