Former Governor of Abia State and current Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, says his time in political office has cost him more than it has benefited him financially.
Speaking during a live interview on Monday, Kalu stated that he used personal funds to support the Abia State government during his tenure from 1999 to 2007 and continues to self-finance his work as a senator.
“I spent my own money being governor, like I am spending my money today being a senator. I used to finance the state, that is the truth,” Kalu said.
“I never benefited from anything being governor, rather, I lost a lot of money. The Federal Government took a lot of my businesses. So, politics has been very dangerous to me.”
The former governor claimed that his private businesses were targeted and shut down by the Federal Government during his time in office, describing politics as a personal financial risk.
Kalu also spoke about his role in the early days of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that he was a major financier of both the party and former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s campaign in 1998.
“Ask any PDP member, I brought most of the money they used in 1998 and 1999. I put a lot of money at a time. By then dollar was big money. I gave President Obasanjo over $1 million to campaign, I gave the party over ₦500 million,” he said.
When asked if he held any grudges against Obasanjo, under whose administration he said his businesses were closed, Kalu responded that there was no conflict between them.
“I am not quarreling with him. He is the best friend of the family. My mother has a lot of respect for him, my late father had a lot of respect for him. So, he is still a family, I don’t quarrel with anybody,” he added.
Commenting on the current state of the economy, the senator acknowledged President Bola Tinubu’s reform initiatives, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and efforts to stabilize the economy. However, he noted that the positive impact of these reforms had yet to be widely felt by Nigerians.
“It will take like, three more years for the reforms to start having a positive impact on the economy,” he said.
Kalu’s remarks reflect a continued defense of his political and financial legacy, while underscoring the challenges faced by public officeholders in balancing governance and personal enterprise in Nigeria.
