A prominent Igbo youth organisation, Youth Renaissance for Good Governance, has strongly dismissed allegations against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, describing claims about irregularities in his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) certificate and Nigerian Law School records as false and politically motivated.
The group, which said it represents more than 30,000 Igbo youths across Nigeria and the diaspora, challenged the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) to produce what it called the “phantom report” allegedly indicting the lawmaker.
In a statement signed by its National President, Ebekuo Madu, and National Secretary, Paul Nwachukwu, the group described COSEYL’s claims as a “nauseating report that bore enormous falsehood.”
“We wish to place before the Nigerian public and all well-meaning citizens of the South-East the irrefutable fact that there exists no credible, official, or verified report indicting the Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu,” the statement read.
The youth organisation said the controversy had already been addressed following a verification exercise conducted by the National Youth Service Corps in 2023.
According to the group, the investigation confirmed that Kalu’s NYSC certificate was legitimately obtained in line with the provisions of the NYSC Act.
It added that a senior NYSC director who participated in the probe verified the authenticity of the certificate, noting that the agency subsequently issued an official verification letter confirming the outcome.
The group also dismissed suggestions that the matter could be taken up by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, arguing that the body would not entertain what it called a politically motivated petition.
It stated that the LPDC’s mandate was too important to be “weaponised for political ends,” describing the allegations as “an infantile and politically motivated petition built on fabricated allegations.”
The youth group further alleged that the accusations against the Deputy Speaker were part of a coordinated political campaign by certain interests in Abia State, claiming Kalu’s rising profile had unsettled rival political actors.
“Rt. Hon. Kalu has not even declared any intention to run for the governorship of Abia State, yet these desperate forces are so terrified of his potential that they have resorted to hiring proxies,” the statement said.
“This is both shameful and an affront to the dignity of our people.”
The organisation urged COSEYL to focus on pressing challenges facing young people in the South-East rather than engage in what it described as politically sponsored attacks.
It also revealed that some youth groups in the region were considering organising a solidarity rally in support of the Deputy Speaker.
Closing the statement with a cultural appeal, the group said: “NdiIgbo must rise above such shameless patterns of politics.”
As of press time, COSEYL had not responded to requests for comment, while the office of Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu had also yet to issue an official reaction.
