THE Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition filed against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, ruling that the complaint failed to establish a prima facie case and fell outside the jurisdiction of the disciplinary body.
News Point Nigeria reports that the decision effectively puts an end at least within the LPDC to allegations that Kalu had discrepancies in his academic and professional credentials, including claims relating to his participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), his training at the Nigerian Law School, and his enrollment as a legal practitioner at the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
In its ruling, the disciplinary panel maintained that the issues raised by the petitioner were beyond the scope of the LPDC’s mandate, which is strictly limited to regulating the professional conduct of enrolled legal practitioners while performing their duties to the public.
The committee emphasised that its authority derives from provisions of the Legal Practitioners Act of Nigeria, specifically Section 10, which empowers it to investigate professional misconduct by lawyers.
According to the panel, the allegations—bordering on the circumstances of Kalu’s NYSC service, his attendance at the Nigerian Law School, and the process of his call to the Nigerian Bar do not fall under professional misconduct within the LPDC’s disciplinary jurisdiction.
Beyond the jurisdictional issue, the LPDC also pointed to procedural flaws in the filing of the petition.
The panel noted that the Statement of Facts accompanying the complaint had been incorrectly addressed to the Chairman of the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee rather than to the Chairman of the LPDC as required under Rule 4 of the LPDC Rules, 2020.
Although the committee stated that it chose to overlook the technical error in the interest of justice, it ultimately found that the petition could not stand on its merits.
“The complaint is fundamentally flawed both procedurally and substantively,” the panel concluded in its decision.
The complaint had been filed by one John Martins, who alleged that the lawmaker previously known as Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu before a legal name change—simultaneously participated in the NYSC scheme while undergoing training at the Nigerian Law School.
Martins argued that such an arrangement would constitute a violation of the National Youth Service Corps Act, which governs the mandatory national service programme for Nigerian graduates.
He further sought disciplinary action against the Deputy Speaker over what he described as discrepancies in the timeline of Kalu’s academic and professional qualifications.
However, after reviewing the petition and accompanying documents, the LPDC concluded that the complaint failed to disclose sufficient grounds to warrant disciplinary proceedings against the lawmaker.
With the dismissal, the disciplinary committee effectively closed the matter within its forum, leaving the Deputy Speaker cleared of the allegations before the body.