Former governor of Abia State and current senator, Orji Uzor Kalu, revealed during a live interview on Monday that he gave $1 million to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1998.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme, Kalu also noted he contributed N500 million to help the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its inception.
Kalu, a key political figure from the Southeast, explained that he was financially involved in setting up the PDP at a time when the party lacked resources. According to him, very few individuals could afford to donate money during that period.
“When I put a lot of money at the time, by then, dollar was big money. Dollar was $84. I gave President Olusegun Obasanjo over $1 million. I gave the party (PDP) over N500 million to start the party,” Kalu said.
He mentioned that most founding members of the PDP did not have the funds needed to support the party’s launch, noting only a few people such as retired General TY Danjuma and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had the capacity to contribute.
“They were looking for money. The only few people who could have brought money then were TY Danjuma and Atiku Abubakar. Others had no money. All those people had no money to bring. And that is the truth,” he added.
Kalu used the platform to call for unity among Nigeria’s political class, urging them to stop engaging in public criticism of one another. Instead, he said the focus should shift toward national development.
“So for me, we are all friends. All this abusing Tinubu, abusing Orji Kalu, abusing Atiku Abubakar, abusing Amaechi should stop. What I think we should do, we should sit down as a family, talk about the needs of Nigerian people and deliver to them,” he said.
He also noted that his greatest concern today is the welfare of ordinary Nigerians. According to Kalu, his wish is to see citizens have access to basic needs such as food, good roads, and job opportunities.
“I’m more anxious to see Nigerians eating three meals a day, going on good roads, going to good train stations, going to all these things, working in a decent factory and making decent money. This is what I would like,” Kalu stated.
