Benjamin Kalu Biography, Education, Career, Controversies, And Net Worth

Maria Olanrewaju | June 14, 2023 | Find It | 1 Comment

Benjamin Kalu, born on 5 May 1971, is a prominent Nigerian politician hailing from Bende, Abia State. He currently serves as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th Nigeria National Assembly, representing the Bende federal constituency. Benjamin Okezie Kalu is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) political party. He also holds the positions of spokesperson of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.

Benjamin Kalu Profile

Name	Benjamin Kalu
Real Name	Benjamin Okezie Kalu
Date of Birth	5 May 1971
Age	52 years
State of Origin	Abia State
Tribe	Igbo
Nationality	Nigerian
Religon	Christianity
Occupation	Politician
Marital Status	Married
Net Worth	$3 Million
Copied from	contents101.com

Educational Background

Benjamin Kalu graduated from the University of Calabar, where he served as a student representative at the age of twenty-three.

Career

At the age of twenty-nine, Benjamin Kalu served as the national chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in diaspora. He then went on to become the youngest local government chairman of Bende, Abia State, Nigeria at the age of thirty-one. At thirty-four, he served as the senior special adviser to the then governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, on local government and chieftaincy affairs. He later became the senior special adviser to the governor on Millennium Development Goals and international relations at the age of thirty-five.

Benjamin Kalu began his political career in 2002 by contesting for the House of Representatives primaries, but he lost to Mbah Ajah. In 2011 and 2015, he contested for the House of Representatives election, representing the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) at that time, but was unsuccessful.

On 23 February 2019, representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), Benjamin Kalu contested and won the seat to represent Bende federal constituency, Abia State in the House of Representatives. He received 9,138 votes, defeating Chima Anyaso of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who received 5,591 votes. Anyaso challenged the election result, citing irregularities, but the National and State Assembly Election Petitions tribunal dismissed the petition for lacking merit on 29 August 2019, upholding Kalu’s victory. Anyaso appealed the case at the Imo State Appeal Court, Owerri, but on 28 October 2019, the Appeal Court upheld Kalu’s election.

As of 13 June 2023, Benjamin Kalu is the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 9th Nigeria National Assembly, representing the Bende federal constituency, Abia State. He is also the spokesperson of the House of Representatives and the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs.

Controversies

Following his victory in the 2019 general elections to represent the Bende federal constituency, Abia State, Benjamin Kalu faced a legal challenge from his opponent, Chima Anyaso of the People’s Democratic Party. Anyaso filed a petition alleging irregularities in the election results. The case was taken to the National and State Assembly Election Petitions tribunal, where Anyaso sought to invalidate Kalu’s victory. However, the tribunal dismissed the petition, upholding Kalu’s election.

Benjamin Kalu’s political opponents and critics have accused him of engaging in irregularities during elections. These allegations suggest possible misconduct or unethical practices in securing electoral victories. However, it is important to note that these allegations remain disputed, and the outcomes of the legal processes have upheld Kalu’s election in the mentioned instances.