Group hails LPDC’s judgement exonerating Deputy Speaker, Kalu

… warns Abia Patriots, others against blackmailing political leaders

A foremost parliamentary group in Nigeria, known as Parliamentary Advocacy Network (PAN), has lauded the landmark verdict of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC), over the allegation of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Nigeria Law School overlap by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, RT. Hon. Benjamin Kalu.

The LPDC had, on Wednesday, dismissed a petition brought before it by one Barr. John Aikpokpo Martins, alleging that Kalu committed infractions by serving his NYSC and attending Law School concurrently.

But the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, while dismissing the petition, said, “no prima facie case is established”, saying there was no need to distract the Deputy Speaker with an invitation over what has no substance.

Reacting on Thursday in a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Amb. Anderson Osiebe, the Parliamentary Advocacy Network, appreciated the Legal Panel for not “indulging the traducers and blackmailers” of Kalu, but rather, handled the petition professionally and with all sense of patriotism.

“The Panel deserves commendations for not indulging the traducers and blackmailers of the Deputy Speaker, whose ulterior motive was to distract a fine Lawmaker who is making Nigeria proud internationally. The sense of professionalism and patriotism of the Members of the Panel is worthy of acknowledgement by all Nigerians”, the statement said.

Osiebe frowned at the Petitioner and a group fronting the narratives on social media, the Abia Patriots, warning them to desist from distracting successful public office holders with frivolities and needless social media bashes.

PAN said the political stakeholders in Abia, from the Governor to the least public office holder in the state, should be proud of the Deputy Speaker, whom he said is the highest political office holder in the entire South East, and an envy of all Nigerians.

“Those of us who are not from the South East are always envious of the people of the Zone each time we see His Excellency, RT. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, in the Chamber presiding or at any official forum outside Nigeria. He is the biggest export of the Nd’Igbo under this dispensation. The people are indeed very lucky to have such a worthy Ambassador.

“We are, however, very concerned that, despite having such a Pan Nigerian who is widely celebrated across the globe, due to his unmatched Legislative and Leadership prowess, from the South East, a fragment of his own people from Abia are always sponsoring needless social media attacks against him, with the latest, thrown out yesterday in form of petition against him.

“At first, we thought the petition was something we could even give our time to it and analyse it. But when we saw a faceless group, Abia Patriots promoting it, we knew it was one of their jokers from Abia Government House, as usual.

“We have been following the antecedents of the Abia Patriots since 2024, it mischievously debuted, and we can comfortably submit that it is an Abia State Government support group. The only activities traceable to the group on social media are countless posts they have made to promote the Governor, and countless posts they have made to insult and attack the respected Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Even a kindergarten can hurriedly summarise the aims and objectives of Abia Patriots.

“We are only here to caution the likes of Abia Patriots and their co-travellers, to consider engaging themselves in productive ventures that would help build their lives and the State. Let them live up to the dictates of their name, rather than being used as available tools for blackmail or for settling political scores, the statement added.

PAN, while congratulating the Deputy Speaker over the clean bill of health handed him by the legal panel, urged Kalu to forgive his traducers, in the spirit of the Lenten and Ramadan currently being observed by Nigerians.

The group begged Kalu not to consider any option of taking the Petitioner or the promoters of the mischief to court over the matter, saying he always enjoys the goodwill of the entire Lawmakers in the 10th Assembly, the Parliamentary and National Assembly community and the entire Nigerians, both home and abroad.