BREAKING: Body Of Benchers To Review Benjamin Kalu’s Law School Certificate If…

The Body of Benchers has handed a coalition of civil society groups a set of procedures to follow before their petition seeking the probe of the Nigerian Law School certificate of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, can receive due attention.

This came on Wednesday when Comrade Ogakwu Dominic, convener of the Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG), led the coalition to the Body of Benchers headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, to submit their petition.

However, the Body of Benchers, which is the highest regulatory body for the legal profession in the country, rejected the petition on the grounds that the coalition did not follow due process in filing it.

The regulatory body handed the group some forms to complete and attach to the petition for it to be acceptable.

The petition, seen by THE WHISTLER, was addressed to the Chairman of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) pursuant to the Legal Practitioners’ Act Cap. L11, Laws of Nigeria 2004.

It questioned the concurrent timelines of Kalu’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) engagement and his enrolment at the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, from 2010 to 2011.

The petitioners, citing official records, noted that Kalu was mobilised for NYSC from March 9, 2010 to March 8, 2011 (Discharge Certificate No. A001773067) while also enrolled into the Nigerian Law School from April 23, 2010 to September 2011.

The group noted that Kalu, upon admission to the Law School, had “solemnly declared on April 23, 2010, that he was not and will not engage in employment or participate in the NYSC during his course of study.”

His declaration, as quoted in the petition, reads: “I, Mr. Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu of 76 Factory Road, Umuahia, Abia State hereby declare on my honour that I am not and will not be engaged in any employment nor serve in the National Youth Service Corps during the period of my course at the Nigerian Law School.”

The coalition added that Kalu claimed to have graduated from the University of Calabar in 1998 and wondered, “How come that after a whole 12 years after graduation, Kalu’s alleged Youth Service and Law School happened concurrently?”

The CSGGG asked the Body of Bencher to “provide clarity as to how the Rt. Hon. Kalu could have effectively met the requirements of the Law School if indeed he actively participated by calling up his academic records.”

It said if it is determined that Kalu breached the law, the body must “apply the appropriate sanctions to safeguard the prestige and sanctity of the Law Profession in Nigeria. To demonstrate that no Nigerian, a lawyer for that matter, is above the law when found culpable.”

The petition also addressed a recent statement credited to the Deputy Speaker’s office, noting: “Rt. Hon. Kalu through his office did state that ‘the allegations being circulated remain unproven claims arising from a petition that has neither been substantiated nor determined by any competent authority.’ The implication of that is obvious.”

The CSGGG urged the LPDC to “act speedily and without bias in this matter.”

The petition was co-signed by Amb. Agbonkpoior Splendour of the Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch, Comrade Onomuodeke Patrick of the Centre for Peace, Transparency and Accountability, and Comrade Ofomhi Christopher of the Integrity Advocacy for Development Initiative.

The group also copied the Chief Justice of Nigeria and Chairman of the National Judicial Council, as well as the President of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Speaking earlier before submitting the petition, Dominic had said “We are concerned as Nigerians because we cannot continue in this state. We want the Right Honourable Okeze Kalu Benjamin to come out clean on his certification. There are discrepancies on issues surrounding his certification, and there is need for him to clarify. Nigerians cannot be taken for granted all the time. It is our right, it is our duty to ensure that there’s transparency, there’s accountability. Because those are the elements and the ingredients of good governance.”

He warned that, “If he (Kalu) is thinking that this matter will be swept under the carpet, he’s totally wrong. If he thinks that this matter will become exhausted over time, he’s totally wrong. We are on a path, on a trajectory to ensure that our country is purged of bad leadership.”

After the petition was turned back, Dominic briefed journalists again on what the group’s next steps. He said, “…this petition was rejected on grounds of due process. They are giving us series of forms, you can see this is a form that we have to fill out to be able to achieve our submission purpose, and so I want to inform you that we are not resting on our oars.”

He reiterated that the group had earlier given Kalu a 72-hour ultimatum to step aside and that they were pressing ahead despite the setback.

“Remember, we are giving the honourable member 72 hours to step aside so that due diligence and due process can be followed in clearing him of this saga. But not having done that, we thought it wise that for us to first barricade the national assembly to achieve our aim would not be very necessary, and we decided to come to the committee itself, which is responsible for disciplining lawyers.

“We are ready to go full swing on this matter. We are ready to exhaust all the resources within our reach. We are ready to ensure that the right thing is done at this point in time.”

“The only thing that will save this situation is that if today, maybe immediately, if right honourable Benjamin Okeze Kalu can come out and show to Nigerians, produce his certifications in both NYSC and the Nigerian Law School to clear himself of this mess because we cannot continue on this scale. This scandal is not good for our national progress. It’s not good for our leadership recruitment process and the national assembly is not a place that should tolerate people who have discrepancies in their certification.”

“We will not ambush the law. We will not take advantage of the process. All we’ll do is to follow due process and ensure that the right thing is done.”

Meanwhile, Kalu had earlier rejected calls to step aside over allegations of inconsistencies in his academic qualifications.

Reacting through his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, Kalu described the allegations as “unproven claims arising from a petition that has neither been substantiated nor determined by any competent authority.”

Nwabughiogu said, “at no time since his (Kalu’s) call to the Bar has any competent legal authority invalidated his qualification or professional status.”