…urged to rise above shameless patterns of political manipulation and focus on addressing South-East youth challenges.
Abuja, Nigeria — The iNews Times reports that a prominent Igbo youth organisation has dismissed as false allegations by the Coalition of South-East Youth Leaders (COSEYL) against Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, concerning his NYSC certificate and Nigerian Law School records.
The group, Youth Renaissance for Good Governance, which represents over 30,000 Igbo youths across all 36 states and the diaspora, described COSEYL’s statement as a “nauseating report that bore enormous falsehood” and demanded that the coalition provide the source of its so-called indicting report.
“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, signed by National President Dr. Ebekuo Madu and National Secretary Paul Nwachukwu, read.
The group further noted that attacks on Kalu’s credentials are not new, describing such allegations as a recurring feature in election cycles targeting prominent South-East political figures. It urged COSEYL to focus on the tangible South-East youth challenges rather than serve as an instrument of political vendetta.
Citing a 2023 NYSC verification exercise, the youth organisation noted that a senior NYSC director confirmed Kalu’s certificate was duly obtained in full compliance with the NYSC Act.
“The NYSC had already issued a verification letter to that effect. The LPDC, on its part, is too busy to entertain frivolous petitions,” the statement added.
It dismissed any prospect of the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) entertaining what it described as “an infantile and politically motivated petition built on fabricated allegations,” arguing that the LPDC’s mandate is too weighty to be weaponised for political ends.
The Youth Renaissance group criticized what it described as orchestrated political desperation from certain quarters in Abia State, alleging that Kalu’s undeclared gubernatorial potential had alarmed rival political interests. According to the group, these interests allegedly sponsored protest groups from outside the South-East to target him using public funds.
“Rt. Hon. Kalu has not 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. This is both shameful and an affront to the dignity of our people,” the statement said.
Amid growing counter-mobilisation in support of the Deputy Speaker, including segments of the South-East youth community reportedly planning a solidarity rally, the group called on Ndigbo to rise above shameless patterns of political manipulation and focus on addressing South-East youth challenges.
