Uchechukwu Okoroafor, Abuja
It is now clear even to the doubting Thomases, that the petition against the well-considered election of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu as the duly elected representative of Bende federal constituency by the Labour Party’s candidate Frank Chinasa is a waste of the time of the court or at best mere academic.
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The issue of alleged discrepancy in the certificates of the Honourable Deputy is a settled matter. The matter had been previously settled and dispensed with in 2020 by Hon. Justice A. O Chijioke at an Abia State High Court, Umuahia in favour of Kalu when it was first presented by one Okey Ezeala. The decision of the court still subsists as it was never appealed.
Sadly, for Chinasa and his co-travellers and to the joy of millions of supporters of Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu across Nigeria, Chinasa is not contesting the victory of Kalu. Then what is he after? A mere distraction and waster of the time of the court for which he deserves to pay a price, because his distraction has caused the court to look at his frivolous matter when there are mountains of genuine cases begging for the attention of the Lordships of the Court.
Already Chinasa is entangled in alleged impersonation for which security agents including the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS) have been detailed to go after him.
Trouble started for Frank Chinasa when the Action Alliance candidate for Bende federal constituency in Abia State in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly election, Ifeanyi Igbokwe, distanced himself from the ill-fated struggle to upturn the peoples mandate for the deputy speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu at the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal sitting at Umuahia, the state capital.
Appearing on a Radio programme on Rapid FM in Umuahia after filing a withdrawal motion on notice before the tribunal, Igbokwe expressed shock that someone used his name to file a suit against Kalu. He announced that he was impersonated by someone yet to be identified at the tribunal, insisting that he never filed or authorized any legal action against Kalu.
Igbokwe said he has written to the Police and the Department of State Service (DSS) to fish out the impersonators including the lawyers who represent them because according to him, whoever hired the lawyers also hired the impersonators.
By implication, the development has put the candidate of the Labour Party in the election, Frank Chinasa in a quagmire, making him a solitary wanderer in the struggle because he did not contest Kalu’s electoral victory.
Speaking on radio, Igbokwe said, “I was at home drinking my tea and watching the news until someone called me to inform me that I had a case in court against the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu. So, I was surprised that people were calling me from my own place and constituency telling me about the court case. I accepted the results from the elections, accepted defeat, and said to God be the glory.
“Now, I am shocked that someone is even representing me. This is my poster and this is my voter’s card, this is my party card so how come somebody is representing me and I didn’t know anything about it?
“Even my lawyer is surprised also. When we heard it, we were like ah! ah! see Rt. Hon Ben that we are all rejoicing for his new position and I am telling people that he is my brother from Bende. So why will I start fighting my own brother?
“We have gone to court, sworn every affidavit and we are writing to DSS and the IG of Police because I want to know the person impersonating me. I want to clear my name first. I want to tell the people of Abia State and Bende that I accept defeat and I want to tell Deputy Speaker that I am not fighting him. I don’t know the person impersonating me but I will fish him out and come back to inform you people”, he said.
Igbokwe has summed it up so finely, that you don’t need to be a top legal mind like Late Chief Rotimi Williams to agree with us that the petition against Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu is indeed a waste of the time of the court and mere academic that served no purpose for Nigeria and Nigerians, but an invention of Chinasa to distract the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives from his top responsibility at the National Assembly. It is high time that the court fine heavily those who come before it with frivolous cases to serve as a deterrent to others.