The Save Nigeria Movement (SNM) and the Freelance Journalists Federation (FJF) have called on security agencies to identify and prosecute individuals responsible for spreading what they described as false and malicious information against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the groups urged the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force to urgently investigate the origin of the allegations, which they said were designed to damage the reputation and political standing of the Deputy Speaker.
Speaking through their conveners, Solomon Semeka and Ibrahim Akawe Joseph, the coalition alleged that some faceless groups posing as activists had been circulating unfounded claims regarding Kalu’s records with the National Youth Service Corps and his training at the Nigerian Law School.
According to them, the allegation that the Deputy Speaker unlawfully combined his NYSC programme with his Law School training was entirely false and should be disregarded by the public.
The groups recalled that a petition on the same matter had previously been submitted to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee, which dismissed it after a review for lacking merit.
“We wish to remind the public that the LPDC thoroughly examined the petition and dismissed it. That decision effectively laid the matter to rest,” the coalition stated.
They further said both organisations conducted independent inquiries into the allegations and found no evidence to support the claims.
“Our findings confirm that the Deputy Speaker complied with all statutory requirements of the Nigerian legal profession and the NYSC scheme. There is no documentary or factual evidence to support the allegations being circulated by his detractors,” they added.
The groups alleged that the smear campaign was politically motivated and linked to the build-up to 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 President’s Renewed Hope agenda,” they said.
They also claimed that their organisations had been approached by sponsors of the alleged campaign but declined to participate.
“To set the record straight, we were approached about two weeks ago by some sponsors of this smear campaign to lead the attack. We rejected the proposal outright because we refuse to participate in the blackmail of a performing public official,” they said.
The coalition disclosed that it was compiling a dossier on what it described as fake civil society organisations and their sponsors, which would be submitted to security agencies for investigation.
“We are gathering evidence on these fake CSOs and their political sponsors. This dossier will soon be submitted to the appropriate security agencies so that those behind these malicious acts can be exposed and held accountable,” they added.
The groups maintained that credible civil society organisations across the country remain supportive of the Deputy Speaker and urged Nigerians to disregard further attempts to revive the allegations.
They therefore called on the DSS and the police to conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that those responsible for spreading false information are brought to justice.
“This is a deliberate attempt to defame a high-ranking public official and incite public distrust. We are submitting a formal petition to the relevant security agencies to ensure that those responsible face the full weight of the law,” the coalition said.
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