The Igbo Mandate Movement Group has strongly condemned a petition filed against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, describing it as “frivolous, mischievous, and politically motivated.”
In a press statement dated February 21, 2026, and signed by its National Coordinator, Igboeli Arinze Napoleon, the group dismissed allegations raised by Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, a former First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in a petition to the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Napoleon said the petition, which calls for a review of Kalu’s records, amounts to an attack on “a distinguished son of Igbo land who has continued to distinguish himself in public service.”
‘He Navigated a Broken System’
Providing background, the group stated that Kalu graduated from the University of Calabar in 1998 but, like many law graduates at the time, faced delays in securing admission into the Nigerian Law School due to limited campus capacity.
“Like many Nigerians of his generation, he was confronted with the systemic challenges that plagued access to the Nigerian Law School,” Napoleon said, noting that at the time the Law School operated only two campuses in Lagos and Abuja, leading to years of backlog.
“Rather than waste those years in idleness, Kalu travelled overseas and acquired additional academic qualifications, demonstrating the very initiative and resourcefulness that has characterised his public career,” he added.
According to the group, Kalu was eventually mobilised for NYSC in 2010 and posted to Enugu North Local Government Area, where he served in the office of the Chairman. During his service year, he was said to have emerged as a Platoon Leader and received the Citizenship and Leadership Award.
Napoleon explained that during the same period, Kalu also received admission to the Nigerian Law School, Enugu Campus, located about 30 minutes from his primary place of assignment.
“Faced with this extraordinary coincidence, he was confronted with a deeply difficult choice: defer Law School admission and risk waiting another three to four years, or abandon his NYSC service — an offence under the NYSC Act,” the statement read.
“He chose neither. Instead, in an extraordinary demonstration of discipline, commitment, and patriotic duty, Kalu fulfilled both obligations simultaneously.”
The group insisted that Kalu met all required weekly and monthly clearance exercises under NYSC and also satisfied the Law School’s 70 per cent attendance requirement, enabling him to sit for the Final Bar Examinations.
“So distinguished was his academic engagement that he was among only three students selected to serve on the research team of the then Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Professor Ernest Ojukwu,” Napoleon stated.
‘What Offence Was Committed?’
The group questioned the basis of the petition.
“We are thus compelled to ask: what offence was committed here? The Law School and the place of primary assignment were thirty minutes apart. His duties were scheduled to allow for both. He met every threshold required of him by both institutions. This petition is therefore nothing but a storm in a teacup,” Napoleon said.
He further argued that being called to the Nigerian Bar constitutes a professional certification and that NYSC has never prohibited corps members from acquiring professional certifications during service.
“Corps members across Nigeria routinely obtain professional certifications in management (NIM), cybersecurity, project management (CIPM), ICAN qualifications, and entrepreneurship — all with the full knowledge and encouragement of the NYSC,” he said.
“It is therefore both illogical and disingenuous to single out the Nigerian Law School as an exception to this well-established practice.”
Napoleon also contended that any declarations being referenced by critics are futuristic in scope and cannot be applied retroactively to Kalu’s service year.
“Laws are not retroactive in nature,” he stated.
Allegations ‘Part of a Pattern’
The group described the petition as part of a broader pattern of what it termed politically motivated attacks.
“When he was nominated as a Commissioner in Abia State, detractors alleged that he was not a graduate of the University of Calabar — an allegation thoroughly debunked,” Napoleon said, adding that Kalu later earned both an LL.M and a Ph.D from the institution and delivered its 50th Anniversary Convocation Lecture.
He also referenced previous allegations concerning Kalu’s NYSC status, which he said were resolved after clarification from the then Director-General of the NYSC.
“Now, the same forces of retrogression have returned with yet another iteration of the same discredited narrative. The Igbo Mandate Movement Group says: enough is enough,” he declared.
Call for Policy Reform
Beyond defending Kalu, the group called for broader reforms to address delays in admission to the Nigerian Law School.
“Nigeria’s law graduates continue to face years of waiting between graduation and admission to the Nigerian Law School. Should these young men and women be condemned to idleness?” Napoleon asked.
“System failure must never be weaponised to punish those who navigate it with ingenuity, good faith, and no intention to breach any obligation.”
‘Treat Petition with Contempt’
In conclusion, the group urged the LPDC and NYSC to dismiss the petition.
“We therefore call on the LPDC and the NYSC to treat this petition with the contempt it deserves,” Napoleon said.
He added, “If anything, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu deserves commendation — not condemnation — for the extraordinary resilience, dexterity, and patriotism he demonstrated in navigating a deeply flawed system while keeping faith with both his professional aspirations and his duties to the Nigerian state.”
The group also warned that it would resist what it described as further attempts to undermine Igbo leaders, insisting it stands firmly with the Deputy Speaker.
