Spokesman of the House of Representatives and member representing Bende federal constituency, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, is embroiled in a certificate forgery and impersonation scandal.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon Okechukwu Ezeala, has filed a suit asking the State High Court, Umuahia, presided over by Justice O.A. Chijioke to sack the lawmaker and declare that the APC had no valid candidate in the 2019 election.
Defendants in the Suit No. HU/265/2020, include Kalu, APC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila.
In the originating summons, Ezeala alleged that the primary and secondary school certificates tendered by lawmaker to INEC contained irregularities as the names on the said certificates are completely different from his current identities.
He insisted that Kalu did not submit any valid document to prove that he attended primary and secondary schools, because there is no Benjamin Kalu in both the primary and the secondary school certificates he submitted to the electoral umpire.
Briefing newsmen in Umuahia, Ezeala said that he boasted about the veracity of his claims, stressing that he approached the court to remove Kalu because he deceived both INEC and voters in his constituency to win the election.
“The documents that Kalu submitted to INEC contained one school certificate from Wilcox Memorial School, Aba, bearing Ụmụnna Okezie and another bearing Osisiogu Okezie. So the two names, Benjamin and Kalu are very strange names, to say the least. If we elected Benjamin Kalu in Bende into the House of Representatives and there is no Benjamin Kalu and neither is there a valid change of name, he cannot retain the mandate by mixing up several names since there was no valid change of name up till university level.
“If the House spokesperson later went and did affidavit for a change of name, it’s an afterthought since he has been using the same name for official documents from time immemorial. You cannot put something on nothing and it would stand. Bende people know that they elected Benjamin Kalu and then somebody else certificate is in INEC; something is wrong somewhere. The court should determine if somebody who does not have a valid school certificate or primary school certificate can contest an election to Bende federal constituency, and indeed any other constituency across the federation.
“The court should also determine whether Benjamin Okezie Kalu was a valid candidate. If the answer to the matters raised is not in affirmation of his candidacy, the court should therefore declare that APC had no candidate in the said election from which Kalu derived his mandate.”
He prayed the court to order INEC to issue Certificate of Return to the party who scored the highest votes since APC had no candidate in the said election having fielded an unqualified candidate.
He stated that he has absolute confidence in the court “to decide whether someone can benefit from his own wrong doing” adding that there is no time bound for a court to hear a forgery case, citing precedents from similar cases the Supreme Court had delivered verdict.
Earlier, there was a mild drama when Kalu’s legal team led by Chief Kelvin Nwufo, (SAN) opposed the appearance of Chief Okey Amaechi, (SAN) the lead counsel of the claimant on the basis that it is akin to changing the goal post in the middle of the game.
Ruling on the matter, Justice A.O. Chijioke, granted both Chief Okey Amaechi (SAN) and Charles Onuchukwu, to continue with the matter.
