I Gave Obasanjo N100m For 1999 Elections – Orji Kalu

Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said he gave ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo N100m to run his campaign in 1999.

He said he gave another N100m to the Peoples Democratic Party prior to the 1999 elections. The former governor said this as ‘Guest of the Week’ on a Kaduna-based Liberty FM radio programme on Saturday.

He said, “I made millions before joining politics. I was doing business between Maiduguri and the East. I carried fish from Maiduguri to the East and palm oil from the East to Maiduguri. So, I had money and invested so much in the PDP.

“If the party is a company, I would have been a major shareholder. I and (Saminu) Turaki spent more on the party than any other Nigerian. How much did (President Goodluck) Jonathan have before he became the President? I was the first to give the party N100m to register. I was also the first to give Obasanjo N100m to campaign during the 1999 election.”

On the frosty relationship between him and Obasanjo, Kalu said things fell apart between him and the former leader when he discovered that Obasanjo was deceiving Nigerians.

Kalu said, “I fell apart with Obasanjo on the issue of third term. He wanted to be a life President. Nobody can tell me that Obasanjo was not interested in a third term. Huge money was involved in the project. Two senators from my state came with the money and I asked them to return it.

“It was the then President of America, George Bush, who genuinely derailed the third term agenda. I told Bush about it and that is why Obasanjo hates me. Bush told him that it was not possible in a constitutional democracy. I try to avoid him (Obasanjo) at public functions.”