Igbo Youth Group Defends Deputy Speaker Kalu Against Politically Motivated NYSC Allegations
The Union of Igbo Youths has come out strongly in defense of Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, dismissing allegations regarding his NYSC certificate and Nigerian Law School records as politically motivated fabrications. The youth organization issued a detailed statement challenging the accusers and warning against using legal institutions for political harassment.
Allegations Dismissed as Fabricated and Sponsored
In a statement released on Wednesday, March 4, and signed by its national president Dr Nicholas Nwigwe and vice president Dr Ada Stella Okoronkwo, the UIY categorically rejected claims made by the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders. The group asserted that COSEYL was being sponsored by unnamed politicians to undermine Southeast political figures, declaring that this era of deploying sponsored voices must end immediately.
Independent NYSC Verification Cited as Evidence
The UIY based its defense of Deputy Speaker Kalu on what it described as a comprehensive 2023 NYSC verification exercise. According to the group, the National Youth Service Corps conducted a formal and independent investigation into questions surrounding Kalu's certificate and subsequently issued an official verification letter confirming that the deputy speaker obtained his certificate in full compliance with the NYSC Act.
"A senior NYSC director who participated in the process has since publicly reaffirmed that finding," the UIY claimed in its statement, challenging COSEYL to produce any counter-verification document from the NYSC, a letter from the agency's director-general disputing the 2023 findings, or any sworn affidavit from competent authorities backing their claims.
Warning Against Legal System Abuse
The youth group addressed reports that elements of the same campaign were considering filing a petition against Kalu at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee over his Law School records. The UIY dismissed this prospect, insisting that the LPDC, which it described as one of Nigeria's most respected regulatory institutions, would not allow itself to become "an instrument of political harassment" against someone whose records have already been verified as clean.
The organization called on the Nigerian Bar Association leadership and senior legal practitioners to guard the committee's integrity from partisan abuse, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the legal system's independence from political manipulation.
Political Motivations Behind Allegations
The UIY attributed the allegations against Deputy Speaker Kalu to political fear rather than genuine accountability concerns. Noting that Kalu had neither declared for the Abia State governorship nor submitted any electoral expression of intent, the group argued that rival political interests were moving against him precisely because of his potential and rising political stature.
Call for Broader Action and Investigation
The union called on Igbo youth organizations, traditional institutions, the media, and security agencies to take specific actions:
- Reject the campaign against Deputy Speaker Kalu
- Demand concrete evidence from COSEYL supporting their allegations
- Investigate the funding sources behind protest activities targeting the deputy speaker
Additional Support from South East Progressive Forum
In a related development, the South East Progressive Forum has also dismissed the allegations against Kalu. In a statement made available on Tuesday, February 24, the group called on Nigerian security agencies to identify those sponsoring what it described as blackmail against the deputy speaker.
The forum warned those being sponsored to push negative narratives against Kalu on social media, stating that no amount of blackmail would derail the deputy speaker from carrying out his work for the people of Bende Federal Constituency and Nigerians at large.
The Union of Igbo Youths emphasized that if COSEYL cannot produce credible counter-evidence to the NYSC verification, then the organization has done nothing less than defame a serving constitutional officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The group maintains that the allegations represent a dangerous precedent of using regulatory and legal bodies for political purposes rather than genuine accountability.
