Former Abia Governor Orji Uzor Kalu has said that despite spending many years in politics, he does not see himself as a politician and insists that he has never gained anything from politics.
Speaking about his journey, the current senator representing Abia North noted that he made his wealth long before stepping into public office. According to him, he built successful businesses and used his personal funds to support both the state and political activities, including the early days of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“I made so much money under 24. I did not benefit anything from being a governor. I brought the money they used in forming the PDP. As any PDP member, I brought most of the money they used in 1998 and 1999,” Kalu stated.
He said that when PDP was founded in 1998, he donated $1 million to help the party and even spent more on campaign efforts. “I gave President Obasanjo over $1 million to campaign. I gave the party $500 million. The only few people who could have brought money then were TY Danjuma and Atiku Abubakar, others had no money to bring and that’s the truth,” he said.
Kalu explained that his source of income was business, not politics. “I am the biggest importer of rice, sugar, confectionaries, and the rest of them and I was also selling petrol,” he revealed.
He further noted that his experience in government actually caused him personal loss. “The Federal Government took a lot of my businesses. So, for me, politics has been more dangerous to me,” he said.
