Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has offered a fresh account of his financial involvement in the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), claiming that he financed early party meetings, aircraft hire, honorariums and other logistical arrangements, while also supporting former President Olusegun Obasanjo after his release from prison in 1998.

The Abia North senator made the revelations during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday, November 9, 2026, where he reflected on his political history, his relationship with the former ruling party and what he described as the personal and business consequences of his involvement in Nigerian politics.

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Kalu maintained that he was among several wealthy individuals who contributed financially to the establishment of the PDP, although he played a significant role in meeting its early operational expenses.

He specifically acknowledged the contributions of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, businessman Yomi Edu and retired General Theophilus Danjuma, noting that other prominent individuals also provided financial support.

However, Kalu said his contributions went beyond conventional party donations, extending to the practical arrangements required to organise meetings and sustain the activities of the emerging political organisation.

“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.

Explaining his motivation, the senator said his financial involvement was driven by the desire to establish a formidable political platform capable of ending military rule and restoring democratic government.

He described the experience as fulfilling at the time, although he now believes the party eventually failed to recognise his contributions.

“I was very happy, but I became a fool before the PDP because after bringing all the money, they turned against me,” Kalu said.

His account also extended to his relationship with Obasanjo, who was released from prison in June 1998 by the administration of former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Obasanjo had been imprisoned under the military government of General Sani Abacha following his conviction in connection with an alleged coup plot.

His release came amid the political transition that followed Abacha’s death in June 1998.

Kalu recalled that Obasanjo stayed at his Victoria Island residence in Lagos after regaining his freedom, claiming that he subsequently provided financial assistance and arranged aircraft for the former military ruler’s movements.

“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,” he said.

The senator expressed disappointment over what he described as the financial consequences of his political involvement, alleging that his businesses suffered despite the resources he committed to supporting the party and its prominent figures.

“What I got in return is killing off my businesses,” he added.

Kalu also rejected the suggestion that his emergence as governor of Abia State on the PDP platform represented sufficient compensation for his financial contributions.

He argued that his political ambition and personal resources predated his election as governor, insisting that he could have pursued the office through another political platform.

“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’s latest account echoes claims he made in March 2017, when he alleged that he provided the PDP with its first N500m and contributed more than N100m towards Obasanjo’s presidential campaign in 1998.

Speaking at a dinner in Washington DC at the time, Kalu said his financial contributions entitled him to greater recognition within the party.

He also alleged that the PDP-led government subsequently took over his bank, airline and oil licence following disagreements over his political ambitions and opposition to Obasanjo’s proposed third-term agenda.

Those allegations were reported by The PUNCH and TheCable in March 2017.

The historical background is significant because the PDP emerged during Nigeria’s transition from military to civilian government in 1998.

A coalition of political figures and influential individuals associated with the G34 movement helped establish the party, which was formally registered in December 1998.

The party subsequently nominated Obasanjo as its presidential candidate for the 1999 election. Obasanjo won the election and was inaugurated as Nigeria’s civilian president on May 29, 1999, marking the beginning of the Fourth Republic.

Kalu also became part of the new political administration, serving as governor of Abia State from 1999 to 2007 under the PDP.

His relationship with the party later deteriorated, particularly amid disagreements over his presidential ambitions ahead of the 2007 election and his opposition to efforts to extend Obasanjo’s tenure beyond the constitutionally permitted two terms.

Kalu eventually left the PDP and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party under which he subsequently secured election to the Senate, representing Abia North.

Beyond his recollections of the PDP’s formative years, Kalu also discussed his relationship with former military Head of State General Ibrahim Babangida, whom he described as a mentor and a figure he continued to respect.

Asked whether the relationship had brought him financial benefits, Kalu denied receiving direct monetary advantages, although he acknowledged enjoying what he described as friendly benefits.

The senator’s latest revelations provide a personal account of the financial networks, political relationships and competing interests that accompanied Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999.

However, his claims about the scale of his contributions, the alleged treatment of his businesses and the circumstances surrounding the PDP’s subsequent disagreements with him remain his own account.

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The historical reporting confirms that Kalu made similar financial claims in 2017, but the specific amounts and alleged business consequences have not been independently established by the sources reviewed.