…Says Combining Law School, NYSC Not Illegal
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu has challenged the powers of the Council of Legal Education (CLE) to revoke his law school qualifying certificate.
This came after the CLE directed him to respond to a petition seeking the withdrawal of his certificate over alleged inconsistencies surrounding the timing of his national youth service and law school studies.
In a letter dated April 28, 2026 and signed by Chukwuebuka S. Okeke of Olaniwun Ajayi LP Chambers, Kalu’s lawyers described the petition as “fundamentally deficient in law” and urged the council to dismiss it.
According to Kalu, no law barred him from participating in the Nigerian Law School programme while also undertaking the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
His lawyers also argued that there is “no express statutory power conferred on the Council to ex post facto withdraw or cancel a qualifying certificate.”
They further argued that the council’s disciplinary powers are “implied and necessarily narrow,” and apply only in cases of “manifest vitiating criminal conduct.”
They added, “no such conduct has been established against Kalu.”
While the CLE is not the body responsible for disciplining practising lawyers, it decides whether someone has met the required training standards to be called to the Bar.
Section 1(1)–(2) of the Legal Education (Consolidation, etc.) Act stipulates that “The Council shall have responsibility for the legal education of persons seeking to become members of the legal profession.”
Section 5 states, “A person shall be entitled to have a qualifying certificate issued to him by the Council stating that he is qualified to be called to the Bar if— (a) he is a citizen of Nigeria; and (b) he has, except where the Council otherwise directs, successfully completed a course of practical training in the Nigerian Law School which (including the time spent in taking the examination at the end but excluding any interval between the conclusion of the examination and the announcement of the results thereof) lasted for a period fixed by the Council as an academic year.”
The CLE’s decision to set up a three-member committee to investigate the petition against Kalu suggests the council believes it possesses jurisdiction over the matter.
In a letter dated April 21, 2026, it directed Kalu to submit a written response within seven days to aid its probe. The allegations include alleged perjury, false representation, and contradictions between his NYSC and bar certificates.
The council, however, declined to discuss the matter publicly.
Its Secretary and Director of Administration, Ms. Aderonke O. Osho, confirmed to NewsNGR that the letter was sent but said the probe would be handled privately.
“We wrote a letter to him. We did not copy any media agency or the press,” she said. “We’ll be dealing with him, and I can confirm that we wrote the letter, but we’ll only deal with him.” Asked whether Kalu had responded after the deadline elapsed, Osho said: “Right now, I’m not in a position to say whether he has responded or not.”
Meanwhile, Kalu’s legal team has dismissed the petition’s reliance on a declaration he allegedly signed stating he would not participate in NYSC during his law school programme.
They argued that the declaration was unsworn and therefore “carries no force of law.”
“The declaration relied upon by the petitioner was unsworn and “carries no force of law.” Formal criminal proceedings are a precondition for the Council to act on grounds of criminal conduct,” the lawyers stated.
The Deputy Speaker’s lawyers, however, failed to admit or deny the claim that Kalu attended Law School and served NYSC simultaneously.
They maintained that there was no law, regulation, or binding institutional rule in force at the time prohibiting concurrent participation in the Nigerian Law School and NYSC.
They said a review of the Nigerian Law School Student Handbook for the 2010/2011 academic session revealed no express ban on students serving in NYSC while enrolled.
“The petition’s claim that concurrent participation in the NYSC scheme and the Nigerian Law School programme is unlawful has “no legal consequence,” as no statute, regulation, or binding institutional rule prohibits it.
“Neither the LEA nor the LPA contain any provision that disqualifies a person from undertaking or completing the Nigerian Law School programme by reason of simultaneous NYSC service.”
The Civil Society Groups of Good Governance (CSGGG), in a separate petition, argued that law students were expected to state that they were not participating in NYSC during their course of study.
