The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) has dismissed a petition filed against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, holding that no prima facie case was established to warrant disciplinary proceedings against him.
In a certified true copy of its decision referenced BB/LPDC/1954/2026 on Wednesday, the committee held that the allegations contained in the complaint fell outside its jurisdiction.
The complaint was filed by a lawyer, John Martins, who alleged that Kalu, formerly known as Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu, simultaneously participated in the National Youth Service Corps scheme while attending the Nigerian Law School prior to his call to the Bar in 2011.
Martins had contended that the alleged dual participation violated the provisions of the NYSC Act and amounted to false declarations, which, according to him, formed the basis of the respondent’s call to the Bar on September 6, 2011, and his subsequent enrolment on the Roll of Legal Practitioners at the Supreme Court on October 5, 2011.
However, in its opinion signed by a senior member of the panel, Umeh Kalu (SAN), the LPDC held that the complaint was procedurally defective and substantively outside the committee’s mandate.
The committee noted that the statement of facts accompanying the application was wrongly addressed.
It stated, “The Statement of Facts accompanying this Application… is addressed to the Chairman, Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee… and not to the Chairman of the LPDC as required by the Rules.”
Although the panel said it chose to overlook the procedural error, it held that the substance of the allegations could not be entertained by the disciplinary body.
The ruling stated that the allegations bordered on criminal issues relating to false declarations and alleged fraudulent enrolment as a legal practitioner.
It further observed that the alleged infractions occurred before the respondent was enrolled as a lawyer.
“The LPDC cannot interrogate the operations of the Nigerian Law School, the Council of Legal Education, the NYSC, and the Body of Benchers,” the committee stated.
It added that the body was established strictly to regulate the conduct of lawyers in the course of professional practice.
“The LPDC is strictly a body set up to regulate the conduct of persons called to the Nigerian Bar in the discharge of their professional duties to members of the Public,” the ruling read.
The panel concluded that the complaint did not disclose any basis for disciplinary proceedings.
“In the circumstances, I find that the Applicant has not adduced any prima facie evidence… to warrant the Respondent being invited to respond to the complaint… No prima facie case is established,” it held.
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