LPDC Dismisses Complaint Against Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu
The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition filed against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, holding that no prima facie case was established.
In its ruling, the panel found that the allegations relating to NYSC participation, Nigerian Law School training, and enrolment at the Supreme Court fell entirely outside its jurisdiction. The complaint was therefore declared procedurally and substantively defective.
The LPDC noted that the Statement of Facts was wrongly addressed to the Chairman of the Legal Practitioners’ Privileges Committee instead of the Chairman of the LPDC, contrary to Rule 4 of the LPDC Rules, 2020. Although the panel overlooked this procedural lapse, it held that the complaint lacked merit.
Emphasising its statutory mandate, the LPDC reiterated that it exists solely to regulate the professional conduct of enrolled legal practitioners in the discharge of their duties to the public, pursuant to Section 10 of the Legal Practitioners Act.
The petition had been filed by John Martins, who alleged that Representative Kalu, formerly known as Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu before a legal name change, had simultaneously participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme while attending the Nigerian Law School, in alleged violation of the NYSC Act.
