Fresh facts have emerged that the defeated candidate of the PDP in the February 2019 election for Bende Federal Constituency, Chima Anyaso is yet to get over his multiple losses to the choice of the masses, Hon. Benjamin Kalu who now occupies the seat at the House of Representatives in line with the choice of the people as expressed at the polls.
Despite denying that he is not the brain behind the renewed frivolous suit challenging Hon. Kalu’s academic qualifications, iron-cast facts have revealed that the Abia-born businessman was economical with the truth, ABN TV reports.
Recall that Hon. Kalu who is now the official spokesperson of the House of Representatives had at various occasions randomly trounced Mr. Anyaso.
At a debate organised by media practitioners for then candidates of various political parties ahead of the election, unable to withstand the intellectual punches Hon. Kalu landed him from all angles at a live broadcast, Chima Anyaso stood up, abandoning both the presenters and co-debators, showing an extremely self-denigrating sign with his index finger, an attitude that amazed even viewers from home.
At the election proper, Hon. Kalu, a qualified legal practitioner of high repute mercilessly ended Chima Anyaso’s dream of representing the people of Bende federal constituency, a defeat Anyaso appears to find extremely difficult to get over.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Chima Anyaso approached the election petition tribunal in the state where he lost again.
Undeterred to reclaim an imaginary mandate, Chima Anyaso again approached the Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, where again Hon. Benjamin Kalu slammed him another defeat that ordinarily ought to be the last according to legal provisions.
Shortly after the Appeal Court decision, Chima Anyaso claimed that he was going to lend his support to Hon. Kalu in building Bende that will be the envy of other Federal Constituencies. He also placed a call to the victorious Ben Kalu, congratulating him.
Despite these, however, findings by ABN TV reveal that the serially defeated Chima Anyaso has not rested on his oars as he tours everywhere for a possible remedy in his search for a window to the House of Representatives to represent Bende people who had earlier rejected him.
Two years after his false claim that he will no longer serve as a tool for distracting the performing Rep. Benjamin Kalu, documents have revealed that he is indeed the arrowhead in the renewed frivolous and venomous legal suit said to have been instituted by one Ezeala Okechukwu challenging the authenticity of Hon. Kalu’s academic documents.
In a suit number HU/265/2020 instituted at Abia State High Court sitting in Umuahia, one Anyaso Chimaobi Desmond aka Chima Anyaso had sought to be joined as an applicant in a suit instituted by one Ezeala Okechukwu, seeking the annulment of Hon. Benjamin Kalu’s election on the ground that he was ‘not qualified to contest the election.
Chima Anyaso in the court document obtained by ABN TV is asked the court to declare him winner of the said election that he came second on the ground that Hon. Benjamin Kalu who won was ‘not qualified.
In the said document, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, APC, INEC, and Speaker House of Representatives were listed as respondents.
Also, in a court document marked seal no B2536568, Chima Anyaso also sought to be included as an applicant in the same suit seeking Hon. Kalu’s electoral victory reversal.
Hon. Benjamin Kalu has since called on the people of Bende to ignore what he called cheap and failed distraction from the defeated candidate and his co-travellers, insisting that all his academic qualifications are product of character and learning.
Hon. Kalu’s Senior Legislative Aide, Chidozie Aja has since described the suit as laughable, insisting that his boss” academic qualifications are genuine.
The legislative aide said those who taught the lawmaker in both primary and secondary school are still alive and can attest that he indeed went through both levels of school.
“It is laughable to say that Rep. Kalu school certificate is not authentic when his fellow primary and secondary school mates, as well as the teachers and principals who taught him, are still alive and well and can testify against this allegation.
“For the sake of clarity, Benjamin Okezie Umunna and Benjamin Okezie Osisiogu is the same as Benjamin Okezie Kalu. Both Umunna and Osisiogu were the names of his step father which he dropped to proudly bear his biological father’s name – Kalu, hence, Benjamin Okezie Kalu. The right to change his name is absolutely his as allowed by the laws of the Federal Republic, and in doing this, all processes were duly followed which includes an affidavit of change of name, newspaper publication, and gazetting” he said.
He added, “It is well known that Okey Ezeala, who is NOT an APC chieftain, has harboured a grudge against Rep. Kalu, because he felt that he was denied the House of Assembly nomination for Bende South in favour of Solomon Okogbue, ignoring the fact that such nomination does not come from an individual but from the people of Bende South. Evidence suggests that Ezeala after threatening to deal with Rep. Kalu, conspired with his political opposition to file this frivolous matter which ordinarily should be a pre-election matter for the purposes of distracting the legislator from working for Bende in return for payment and sponsorship. This was against party directives that no party member should take another to court. There is evidence to show that this negotiation eventually went to the highest bidder including various telephone conversations where Rep. Kalu refused to pay him off to drop the frivolous action.
“As further proof of the nexus between Okey Ezeala and his paymasters, it is on record that barely a month ago, Chima Anyaso lost an attempt to be joined as a party to this matter in the same High Court of Umuahia, where the court informed him that he cannot benefit from a matter after exhausting his rights at the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal. Interestingly, the same Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) who presented Chima Anyaso’s failed bid to be joined as a party, is the same SAN who has been paid to lead Okey Ezeala’s case.”