Kalu’s Lawyers Reject Petition Seeking Revocation of Law School Certificate

Legal representatives of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, have asked the Council of Legal Education to dismiss a petition calling for the withdrawal of his Nigerian Law School qualifying certificate, describing it as baseless and legally flawed.

In a response dated April 28, 2026, Kalu’s solicitors, led by Chukwuebuka S. Okeke of Olaniwun Ajayi LP, addressed a petition filed by lawyer John Aikpokpo Martins on March 16, 2026. The petitioner had alleged that Kalu’s attendance at the Nigerian Law School overlapped with his participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and urged the Council to cancel his certificate.

However, Kalu’s legal team argued that the Council lacks the legal authority to revoke a certificate already issued, noting that its powers are limited to those expressly provided under the Legal Education (Consolidation, etc.) Act.

They maintained that disciplinary action by the Council can only arise in cases involving clear criminal misconduct, which they said has not been established against the Deputy Speaker.

According to the lawyers, the petition fails on key grounds, including the absence of any proven criminal offence, reliance on an unsworn declaration, and the lack of any law prohibiting simultaneous participation in the NYSC scheme and the Nigerian Law School.

“The Council cannot withdraw a validly issued certificate without evidence of criminal misconduct. The petition falls far short of this requirement,” the response stated.

The legal team also dismissed the evidentiary value of the petitioner’s claims, noting that the declaration cited was unsworn and therefore lacks legal weight. They added that any allegation of criminal conduct would require proper legal proceedings before disciplinary measures could be considered.

On the issue of overlapping programmes, the lawyers argued that no law or regulation in force at the time barred candidates from attending Law School while participating in the NYSC. They also pointed out that the Nigerian Law School Student Handbook for the 2010/2011 session did not prohibit such an arrangement.

Furthermore, they stressed that neither the Legal Education Act nor the Legal Practitioners Act disqualifies individuals from undertaking both programmes concurrently.

Kalu’s lawyers warned that any attempt to withdraw the certificate would amount to a punitive action and must comply with constitutional provisions, particularly those safeguarding against punishment for acts not defined as offences under existing laws.

They concluded that the petition lacks any valid legal basis and urged the Council of Legal Education to dismiss it outright, noting that similar allegations had reportedly been rejected by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for lacking merit.