Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has claimed that he financed several activities during the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party, including meetings, aircraft and other logistical arrangements.
The former Abia State governor also said he bankrolled the activities of former President Olusegun Obasanjo following his release from prison, providing aircraft and other resources to facilitate his movements.
Kalu made the disclosures during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday night, where he recounted his financial contributions to the party and his relationship with some of its founding members.
According to him, several prominent Nigerians contributed financially to the establishment of the PDP, including the current Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Yomi Edu and former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Danjuma.
However, he maintained that he shouldered much of the financial responsibility for the party’s early activities.
“I wasn’t the only one with money, to be honest. People like the present Vice President, he had the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, he had money, Yomi Edu had money. Many other people and, at the end, General Theophilus Danjuma brought in a lot of money to the party also.
“But I was the one funding the meetings, aircraft, paying honorariums to people that came from cooking food and all the rest of them. That is the truth,” he said.
Kalu explained that his financial involvement was motivated by his determination to support the emergence of a strong political party capable of ending military rule and restoring democracy in Nigeria.
He, however, expressed disappointment over what he described as betrayal by members of the party after he had committed substantial resources to its formation.
“I became a food before the PDP because after bringing all the money, they turned against me,” he said.
When asked whether his emergence as Abia State governor on the PDP platform meant he had benefited from the party, Kalu dismissed the suggestion, insisting that the position was insignificant compared with what he contributed.
“Governor means nothing for what I gave to them. I gave them live wire. When people had no money, I brought in the money to form the party,” he said.
The senator also recalled how he supported Obasanjo after the former president regained his freedom from prison, claiming that he accommodated him at his Victoria Island residence and financed his travels.
“When President Obasanjo came out of prison, he was in my house. He used to be in Victoria Island. I started funding him, started funding his aircraft, started hiring aircraft and bringing my own aircraft to take him.
“What I got in return is killing off my businesses,” Kalu said.
He further alleged that his involvement in politics negatively affected his business interests, claiming that he was financially successful before venturing into public affairs.
Kalu governed Abia State between 1999 and 2007.
He had previously claimed that he provided the PDP with its first N500m and contributed more than N100m to Obasanjo’s 1998 presidential campaign.
In a March 2017 report by The PUNCH, the former governor also alleged that the party subsequently took over his bank, airline and oil licence.
During Monday’s interview, Kalu spoke about his relationship with former military Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, describing him as a mentor whom he continues to respect.
However, when asked whether he received financial benefits from the relationship, the senator denied receiving such benefits, saying, “I had a lot of friendly benefits from that relationship.”
