…Commends investigative panel as Kalu’s legal team challenges jurisdiction

A coalition under the aegis of the Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG) has urged the Council of Legal Education to resist pressure and see through its ongoing probe into the law school qualifying certificate of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.

The group, in a statement on Wednesday by its President, Comrade Ogakwu Dominic, commended the Council for constituting an investigative committee to examine the petition and encouraged it to remain steadfast despite legal objections raised by Kalu’s lawyers.

The Council had, at its meeting on April 17, 2026, set up a three-member ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations. In a follow-up letter dated April 21, 2026, the Deputy Speaker was directed to submit a written response within seven days to aid the committee’s work.

The petition centres on allegations of perjury, false representation, and discrepancies between Kalu’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate and his Nigerian Law School records.

At issue is the timeline of his NYSC service relative to his enrolment at the Law School.

Responding to the Council’s query, Kalu’s solicitors, Olaniwun Ajayi LP, in a letter dated April 28, 2026, described the petition as legally deficient and urged the Council to dismiss it.

The legal team argued that there was no evidence of criminal conduct, that the petition relied on an unsworn declaration, and that no law expressly prohibits simultaneous participation in the NYSC and Nigerian Law School programmes.

The lawyers contended that the Council lacks statutory authority to withdraw or cancel a qualifying certificate once issued, maintaining that any such action would amount to a penal measure requiring strict compliance with constitutional safeguards under Sections 36(8) and 36(12) of the 1999 Constitution.

However, the coalition maintained that while Kalu is entitled to legal representation, the Council retains sufficient powers under the Legal Education (Consolidation, etc.) Act to investigate allegations relating to the procurement of qualifying certificates.

The group expressed concern that the legal response focused largely on challenging the Council’s jurisdiction rather than addressing the substance of the allegations, warning that technical arguments should not derail a process already set in motion.

It also raised concerns over reports that the Deputy Speaker may seek a court injunction to halt the probe, describing such a move as an attempt to frustrate a statutory process.

The coalition called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take note of the development and publicly reaffirm that no public official is above institutional scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the Council has declined public comments on the matter.

Its Secretary and Director of Administration, Ms. Aderonke O. Osho, confirmed that a letter was sent to Kalu but noted that the process would be handled internally, declining to state whether a response had been received before the deadline.

Kalu has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

He was called to the Nigerian Bar in September 2011 and remains enrolled as a legal practitioner of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, maintaining that no competent authority has invalidated his qualification or professional standing.