Former Abia State Governor, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, has revealed that he donated $1 million to former President Olusegun Obasanjo and N500 million to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998, during Nigeria's transition to democratic rule.

Kalu made this disclosure on Monday while appearing as a guest on Channels TV's Politics Today programme, where he discussed various aspects of Nigerian politics.

"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 stated.

The senator emphasized that financial resources were scarce within political circles at that time, noting that "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."

Call for Unity Among Political Leaders

During the interview, Kalu called for an end to political mudslinging among Nigeria's leaders, advocating instead for collaboration to address the nation's challenges.

"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.

The former governor expressed his desire to see improvements in the living standards of Nigerians, stating, "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's revelations provide insight into the financial backing that supported Nigeria's return to democratic governance in 1999, following years of military rule, and highlight the significant role played by wealthy individuals in funding political activities during that critical transition period.