During the valedictory session in the Senate, Orji Kalu, the outgoing Chief Whip, was overcome with emotion as he recounted his ordeal in an alleged N7.1 billion fraud case. Kalu expressed his belief that Nigeria has not been fair to many individuals.
In his speech, delivered on the conclusion of the ninth Senate on Saturday, Kalu couldn't hold back tears as he addressed the accusations against him. In December 2019, he and Ude Jones Udeogu, a former director of finance and accountant, were found guilty and convicted of money laundering involving N7.1 billion. They had already begun serving a 12-year prison sentence for the crime when the Supreme Court overturned the proceedings that led to their convictions in 2020.
Kalu lamented being unjustly labeled a thief by certain entities who conspired against him, remarking: “Before I came to the senate before I came into politics, I could buy anything money can buy. I’m not a thief. Those that put me in prison know the reason they put me in prison.
"They took over my businesses and wanted to kill me yet I survived it and I’m in the senate with you.
“I have never lacked, while I was in the Peoples Democratic Party, I was a governor for two terms. I brought the money that they used in forming that party, every penny, in 1997 and 1998, and I later became a thief.
“People I gave transport money from my house in Victoria Island became angels. This is what Nigeria represents. I want to thank my colleagues for giving me four years of uninterrupted support. This country is not fair to so many of us.”
Watch the video below:
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