Orji Uzor kalu: The new ‘Sinator’ on the block

He used to be called distinguished, being a member and Chief Whip of the upper legislative chamber, the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. But as Senator Orji Uzor Kalu becomes yet another politician to bite the dust, so to speak, it is suffice to say that the anti-corruption war of the Muhammadu Buhari administration is taking a toll on some of the so-called loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) leader.
With the conviction last Thursday of the former governor of Abia State by a Federal High Court in Lagos, there is no doubt that Kalu has become the latest politician whose sins have caught up with, and whose conviction is being celebrated by Nigerians.
Kalu is the third politician to be so humiliated after being officially confirmed to have stolen from public purse, by a competent court of law, coming after the conviction of former governors of Plateau and Taraba states, Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame.
There had been other thieves before the confirmation of Kalu’s latest status, but the travails of the former governor of Abia State began before he left office as the governor of the state in 2007.
As a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor in 1999, Kalu wielded so much influence as one of the close confidants of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
Things however fell apart between Obasanjo and Kalu and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the leadership of Nuhu Ribadu, began a search on Kalu’s government, even as a sitting governor.
This led to the suspension of the licence of one of Kalu’s companies, the Slok Airline, which many saw then as political vendetta by the Obasanjo-led government.
There was much ado about the whole episode but Kalu wielded his influence to escape the long arm of the law and even ensured that his then Chief-of-Staff, Theodore Orji, succeeded him as the state governor.
Orji, who was then in EFCC’s detention owing to Kalu’s offences won the governorship election while in custody as the candidate of the PDP and a strong ally of his boss.
But no sooner had Orji mounted the political throne of Abia State than he began a war of attrition against his former boss.
This led to the defeat of Kalu on the political turf as he could not gain the senatorial seat he was eyeing, as such, he jumped ship, moving from the party he helped established to another party.
That was the beginning of his lopsided political career as he kept jumping from one party to the other until he finally berthed at the APC.
Many would have thought that the APC would be a shield from justice as the chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, once called on politicians to move to the party, because their sins would be forgiven.
But that was not to be the case in this instance. Despite Kalu’s avowed loyalty to the APC and President Buhari, it didn’t stop the EFFC from continuing with the fraud case against the Senate chief whip.
On Thursday, the Federal High Court sentenced the serving senator to 12 years in prison after convicting him of N7.65 billion fraud, as Justice Mohammed Idris pronounced Kalu guilty of all the 39-count charge in a trial that lasted 12 years.
Kalu, who was tried alongside a former Director of Finance and Accounts during his tenure as governor, Udeh Udeogu, as well as his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, was quoted as begging prison officials not to handcuff him.
Kalu was found guilty of all the 39-count charge filed against him by the EFCC as the agency said the ex-governor violated Section 17(c) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004, and was liable to be punished under Section 16 of the same Act.
He was accused of laundering N7.1bn, while his co-defendants were accused of receiving N460 million stolen from the Abia State Government treasury between July and December 2002.
Kalu, who was born on April 21, 1960, had served as the chairman of the Borno Water Board and the chairman of the Cooperative and Commerce Bank Limited before being elected as the governor of Abia State.
He was governor of Abia State between May 29, 1999 and May 29, 2007, ruling Abia State for two consecutive terms on the platform of the PDP.
Kalu had earlier lost his bids for the senatorial seat but renewed his attempt in February and won the Abia North senatorial election on the platform of the APC to defeat an incumbent, the PDP’s Mao Ohuabunwa.
With his conviction, he looks to have lost his senate seat as well as his freedom at least for now, pending his appeal to a higher court. Though the senate has ruled out declaring his seat vacant while the process of appeal is on, the fact remains that Nigerians are beginning to believe that the mighty can also fall in Buhari’s anti-corruption war as Kalu becomes the latest thief on the block.