By Gift Chapi Odekina
The Spokesperson of the House of Representatives Rep. Benjamin Kalu has been vindicated from the suit filed against him by Okey Ezeala alleging name forgery on his academic certifications.
Recall that one Okey Ezeala filed a case against the legislator claiming that there was a name discrepancy in his academic certificates. Also recall that Chima Anyaso, the candidate of the PDP who lost in the last election against the legislator made a failed attempt to join the suit earlier.
In a court judgement delivered by Justice A.O. Chijioke at the High Court in Umuahia, the judge dismissed the suit against Rep. Benjamin Kalu describing it as malicious. Justice Chijioke agreed with all the arguments of Rep. Benjamin Kalu’s lead Counsel, K.C Nwufor affirming that:
The matter is a pre-election matter and therefore statute barred and frivolous.Rep. Benjamin Kalu fully complied with the law in his change of nameThe claimant failed to differentiate or prove his claims of forgery and impersonation against Rep. Benjamin Kalu.
The court also agreed with K.C Nwufor that the claimant ought to have produced the original bearer of the name which Rep. Kalu was alleged to have impersonated.
Addressing Chima Anyaso’s attempt to join the suit as a co-claimant against Rep. Benjamin Kalu, the court described it as improper and malicious considering that Chima Anyaso had exhausted all his rights in this matter having lost at the election, election tribunal and court of appeal.
In the 1-hour 30-minute long judgment, the court also stated that the suit against the legislator appeared to be a case of “the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob”. Thus, confirming the statements made by the Senior Legislative Aide to Rep. Benjamin Kalu some days ago alleging that Chima Anyaso masterminded and funded this frivolous suit against Rep. Kalu in order to distract him from fulfilling his mandate.
Upon dismissing the case, the court also awarded costs against the Claimant.
