72-Hour Ultimatum: CSOs Ask Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu to Step Aside Over Certificate Controversy
A coalition of civil society organisations led by the Civil Society Groups of Good Governance (CSGGG) has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, demanding that he step aside pending investigations into alleged contradictions between his NYSC service records and Nigerian Law School certification. The group warned that failure of relevant authorities to investigate the matter could trigger a mass protest at the National Assembly.
“A fresh political storm is brewing around the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, after a coalition of civil society organisations issued a 72-hour ultimatum demanding he step aside over alleged inconsistencies involving his NYSC discharge certificate and Nigerian Law School records. The groups say the matter raises serious constitutional and ethical questions about whether one of Nigeria’s most powerful lawmakers can continue to occupy the nation’s second-highest legislative office while the allegations remain unresolved.”
A coalition of civil society organisations, led by the Civil Society Groups of Good Governance (CSGGG), has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, to step aside pending investigations into alleged perjury, false representation, and contradictions involving his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nigerian Bar certificates.
The coalition made the demand during a press briefing held in Abuja on Friday, where it questioned the constitutional and legal propriety of Kalu continuing to occupy the second-highest office in the House of Representatives while the controversy remains unresolved.
The groups warned that if the relevant authorities—including the NYSC, the Nigerian Law School, the Council of Legal Education, and the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC)—fail to address the allegations within 72 hours, they would mobilise members nationwide to occupy the National Assembly in protest.
Addressing journalists, Chief Dominic Ogakwu, President of the CSGGG and spokesperson for the coalition, cited the supremacy of the Nigerian Constitution as the basis for their demand.
“The 1999 Constitution as amended states in Chapter 1(1) that ‘this Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding force on the authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria,’” Ogakwu said.
According to him, the coalition is seeking to test the constitutional principle that all public officials are subject to the same level of scrutiny and accountability under the law.
“Let me make it clear that we are non-aligned—partisan or otherwise—and our interest in this matter, which has been raging for a while without due attention from the relevant authorities, should be a source of concern to all patriotic Nigerians,” he stated.
He added:
“We do not impute any crime yet. Rather, we demand clarity as to the possibility of Rt. Hon. Kalu, after swearing two separate oaths—one with the NYSC and the other with the Nigerian Law School—that he would faithfully abide by the requirements of each institution, still carried out two functions that appear mutually exclusive.”
The coalition argued that Kalu had sworn an oath under Section 2(3) of the NYSC Act to undertake a continuous one-year national service, raising questions about how he could simultaneously participate in full-time academic training at the Nigerian Law School during the same period.
According to the group, the Nigerian Law School maintains strict rules prohibiting students from serving as NYSC corps members during their period of study.
The coalition further claimed that Kalu was admitted to the Nigerian Law School under the name Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu, before later undergoing a series of name changes.
It alleged that on April 23, 2010, Kalu declared that he was not engaged in employment and would not participate in the NYSC during his period of study at the Law School.
However, the group questioned how he was later able to obtain an NYSC discharge certificate marked A001773067 and dated March 8, 2011, which appears to fall within the same timeframe.
According to the coalition:
“It is either he did not participate fully in the NYSC service year, or he never attended the Nigerian Law School in the manner required to qualify him for enrolment into the Nigerian Bar.”
The civil society groups therefore demanded full clarification from Kalu, the NYSC, the Nigerian Law School, and the Council of Legal Education.
They also insisted that the Deputy Speaker should step aside while the matter is investigated, noting that the office he occupies is too significant for any allegation capable of undermining public trust.
“Nigeria is an important country not just on the continent but globally and should not have individuals with any semblance of questionable records occupying such high public offices,” the coalition said.
The group also urged the NYSC to clarify the circumstances surrounding Kalu’s service record.
Ogakwu added:
“Did he actually participate in the compulsory national service? If yes, how? If not, how did he obtain the discharge certificate he possesses?”
He also called on the Nigerian Law School and the Council of Legal Education to make public records of Kalu’s participation in academic activities, noting that students are required to attend at least 70 per cent of programmes to qualify for the Call to Bar.
“If it is established that there was a breach of the oath taken at the Law School, then the Call to Bar certificate should be withdrawn forthwith because it falls short of the high standards of probity, truthfulness and fidelity expected of legal practitioners,” he said.
Ogakwu concluded by urging the Deputy Speaker to demonstrate transparency and moral responsibility.
“Mr. Kalu himself should demonstrate the moral high ground by providing evidence that he did not combine both programmes simultaneously. If he did not, then he should explain the certificates he currently possesses.”
