Civil society organisations have called on the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Police Force to investigate and prosecute individuals behind what they described as the spread of false allegations against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
The call was made on Sunday in Abuja by the Save Nigeria Movement (SNM) and the Freelance Journalists Federation (FJF), which alleged that certain political actors were sponsoring a smear campaign aimed at undermining the Deputy Speaker’s reputation.
Addressing journalists, the conveners of the groups, Solomon Semeka and Ibrahim Akawe Joseph, said the allegations circulating about the Deputy Speaker’s records with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Nigerian Law School were baseless and politically motivated.
According to them, the narrative alleging that Kalu unlawfully combined his NYSC service with his Law School programme was entirely fictitious and a recycled allegation that had already been addressed by the relevant authorities.
“We wish to remind the public that a petition on this same matter was previously submitted to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee. After a thorough review, the committee dismissed the petition for lacking merit, effectively putting the matter to rest,” the groups said.
They further stated that both organisations independently conducted inquiries into the claims and found no evidence to support the allegations.
“Our findings confirm that the Deputy Speaker complied with all statutory requirements of the Nigerian legal profession and the National Youth Service Corps scheme. There is no documentary or factual evidence to support the allegations being peddled by his detractors,” they added.
The coalition also alleged that the campaign against the Deputy Speaker was linked to political calculations ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Abia State.
“It has become increasingly clear that this campaign of calumny is driven by fear ahead of the 2027 governorship contest in Abia State. Certain politicians appear threatened by the rising popularity of the Deputy Speaker and his support for the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Unable to match his legislative performance and political influence, they have resorted to character assassination,” the groups said.
The organisations also claimed that they were approached by individuals allegedly sponsoring the smear campaign but declined to participate.
“To set the record straight, our organisations were approached about two weeks ago by some of these sponsors to lead the smear campaign. We declined outright. As organisations committed to national development, we refuse to participate in the blackmail of a public official who continues to deliver on his mandate,” they said.
They disclosed that they were compiling a dossier on the alleged fake civil society organisations and their sponsors, which would soon be submitted to security agencies for investigation.
“We are already gathering evidence on these fake CSOs and their political sponsors. This dossier will soon be submitted to the appropriate security agencies to ensure that those behind these malicious acts are exposed and held accountable,” the coalition said.
The groups maintained that credible civil society organisations across the country remain supportive of the Deputy Speaker and urged Nigerians to ignore what they described as attempts to distract him from his legislative responsibilities.
“These narratives and staged protests are the handiwork of political merchants hired to distract a public servant who remains committed to nation-building,” they added.
They therefore urged the DSS and the Nigeria Police to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring those responsible for the alleged misinformation to justice.
