By James Nwachukwu
Once again, Orji Uzor Kalu (OUK), the senator representing Abia North has chosen to travel the ridiculous route of infamy, spewing lies and hatred against the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu. This time, he is cashing in on the face-off between Ben Kalu and the governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti over 2027.
In a piece purportedly written by the Media Advier to Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, Ferdinand Ekeoma but laden with his imprints, OUK tagged Ben Kalu a serial betrayer just to cast aspersions and portray him in bad light. This is rather unfortunate. I am not perturbed because that’s OUK’s stock in trade. It’s so familiar to everyone who knows him. Just as expected, Ekeoma has denied the press statement.
But in defence of Benjamin Okezie Kalu, I am compelled to make this clarification which will take me into memory lane to let the world know who the real betrayer is.
For once, let’s shout it to the mountain tops that Benjamin Kalu’s political profile is OUK’s greatest hurt. And so, at every turn, the Senator hurls darts at him, deriding him with choreographed story of betrayal. If he has any iota of truth in his story, let him activate the relevant laws against the Deputy Speaker but he can’t because the consequences will be great for him.
For far too long, I have chosen to be silent amid the barefaced lies peddled by OUK but not any more. I am a witness to what transpired and I hereby present the facts to put an end to this character assassination by OUK.
First, the Senator has never been Benjamin Kalu’s benefactor and never made him to become who he currently is. Let that sink. Perhaps, the first question that will challenge this lie is to ask OUK about Ben Kalu’s loss of 11million Euros during his imprisonment.
At this juncture, I am forced to retell the story of mutuality between OUK and Ben Kalu.
Orji Kalu and Ben Kalu met for the first time outside the country in year 2000. This happened in the presence of Chief Daniel Akwari who is from the same Bende LGA and he is still alive and others. Before this time, the Deputy Speaker was already an employer of labour with over 150 people in diaspora working in his own micro finance bank, major real estate business, ICT firms etc. Besides, he met Ben Kalu as the national chairman of PDP in diaspora with a huge follower-ship under his leadership. At that time Benjamin Kalu was leading the party and the Nigerian nationals. A former cross river state governor as well as the former deputy national chairman of PDP from the south west, Alhaji Shuib Oyedokun will attest to this.
The first picture OUK took with Ben Kalu, in diaspora is still in the archives and can be exhumed and tended as a hardcore evidence to this. And this is why, it amuses me when OUK says he bought air ticket for the Deputy Speaker for the first time. The question now becomes: At what point did he buy his ticket even when it is vividly clear in my head that OUK drove around town in the brand new Grand Jeep Cherokee of the Deputy Speaker and was negotiating to buy one of Ben Kalu’s properties in diaspora.
Benefactor? What makes him Ben Kalu’s benefactor when in the 22 years they worked together, he never gave him a Kobo except N2 million to print posters and campaign materials for OUK, delivered in two cheques by his younger brother Mascot Uzor kalu (the cheques pictures are there for evidence). To recount the dishonesty, OUK later confessed he severally sold the house of reps seat to a lady, PDP candidate in all the elections he participated and this happened after Ben Kalu had spent millions of Naira of personal fund to grow his party, the PPA. What wickedness? This is after he sent his younger brother to beg Ben Kalu to run with his party against his intention but to show loyalty, he agreed and again OUK sold the seat. He also made sure he used the PPA chairman to ensure Ben Kalu’s name never saw the light of the day as names submitted to INEC. The evidence is there. The party chairman then who got his instructions is still alive. Now, who is the betrayer?
So, this is why it gives me infantile convulsions to hear OUK say he is Ben Kalu’s benefactor or mentor. This is unfounded. Mentioning flight ticket when Ben Kalu has been the one buying him first class tickets for his over seas trips through his nominated travel agent owned by him and operated by one Madam Shola. Evidence abound if he challenges this.
On business claims, let me state that Benjamin Kalu brought an export business idea to OUK in Abuja on his invitation. This business was supposed to be between Ben Kalu and Mascot but since Mascot who was the best man during Ben Kalu’s wedding in 2005 did not show interest, his elder brother heard of it and invited Ben Kalu. Of course, he accepted the idea but decided to take 75% against all insistence of Ben Kalu to share 50/50%. Ben Kalu accepted, thinking he will invest according to his equity in the business but again he betrayed him, took more and invested less. The picture of the cheque from his company and the amount is still available if OUK contests this. To state the level of the deceit, he insisted that his partner, Ben Kalu as shareholder should report to his MD of Slok, DR Josef from Lebanon but he refused, insisting to report only to the board. His company secretary, a lady is still alive to attest to this if he contests it.
When Ben Kalu eventually raised it with OUK at the board meeting, he invited one of his brothers, a chartered accountant from his home town, Igbere to audit the account from inception. It was later confirmed that the man with 25% had invested more than a man with 75% and that angered OUK. He wanted the chattered accountant to change it and he said, no, it was unprofessional. That’s the deceit and betrayal of OUK, yet this man Ben Kalu will not discuss him publicly while OUK goes about thinking we are not aware.
For emphasis sake, let me also state here that OUK invested N150m while Ben Kalu invested N175m. The stamped audited report of the company is ready to be presented if he contests this.
For the umpteenth time, OUK should be told that the Deputy Speaker built the business over the years to become a multi million euro company in Belgium with branches in France as well. Ben Kalu took him every three months to Belgium for board meetings with all expenses paid by Ben Kalu. He should be told that Ben Kalu has also continued to maintain a calm and gentle demeanor, refusing to tell the world that he lost 11million euros the second week he was imprisoned at Kuje, Abuja prisons because he refused to leave his shares for his wife and children despite several warnings from three banks in Europe financing the businesses. Ben Kalu visited him severally in jail, asking him to replace his name with any of his relatives (wife, son, daughter, brother, mother ) but he refused. Ben Kalu lost a business he took 9 years to build and yet, you will not hear him call OUK out publicly as a betrayer. So who is the benefactor and who is the betrayer now?
I can recall that the bank claimed he was a criminal and can’t work with such a character. His refusal to replace his name led to the banks withdrawing their credits as well as the collapse of the business Ben Kalu built for years. Ask him what he did about it when he left jail And he turns around to claim a business he destroyed with his criminal conviction was squandered? Orji Kalu, where is the 11 million euros of Ben Kalu in the business you destroyed?
Now, among these two, who is the real benefactor here and who is the betrayer here? Please, ask Orji Kalu.
Orji Kalu should be told to stop lying to people because Ben Kalu without his input has built the remnant of the business in another African country to a multi million dollar company without any penny from him before joining politics, which is still prospering. He does not know any thing about the business. He was only invited but decided to take it over to destroy it.
Is it in politics that Orji Kalu played the benefactor role? I recall he was unequivocal when he told Ben Kalu to his face that he masterminded all his electoral woes, accepted entering into agreement with Ben Kalu’s opposition yet claiming to be working with him during elections. That’s the real betrayer. Two sets of elections and in all, he confessed selling it to a female candidate of another party. That’s the betrayer.
Simply put, Orji Kalu severally betrayed Ben Kalu because he never wanted him to join politics or to grow. Let him challenge this and I will show the world how he has always worked for Labour Party, yet claiming to be a member of APC.
He made his choice of who to support for presidency. Ben Kalu chose President Tinubu and this annoyed him the more. He felt betrayed that he refused to choose his candidate for presidential primaries and why should Ben Kalu be marketing President Tinubu under the National Assembly Tinubu Ambassadors. He betrayed him for refusing to betray Tinubu. If that’s the betrayal, then Ben Kalu will betray him again. Ben Kalu does not give President void votes, does not play APC in the morning and Labour Party at night. Unlike OUK, Ben Kalu’s position at all times and in all matters are known and clear. You know where he stands and you can take it to the bank. You can’t say that about OUK.
Factly, OUK didn’t want Ben Kalu to go for deputy speakership because of his Senate President ambition. It pained him that all his efforts to stop Ben Kalu from the primaries to general elections failed woefully. How will a man who willfully frustrated your political growth at the constituency level be happy seeing you run and become the Deputy Speaker? But this is what OUK serves the world as betrayal to the extent of accusing Benjamin Kalu of infidelity, and then, clandestinely sponsoring media attacks to damage his image and calling him unprintable names? He has started again but this time we will show the world who truly he is .
Truth the told, the Senators never wanted OUK as the President of the Senate. Of course, it is obvious he lacks the charisma, the education, the intellectual wherewithal, the technical competences, the political sagacity and the trust worthiness to occupy such a high office in the land. But reverse is completely the case when it comes to Ben Kalu. He has all it takes to be deputy speaker and more. He can be trusted but any one making OUK Senate President is signing his impeachment ahead of time. And the best of them all is the love his colleagues have for Ben Kalu and that was the reason he was unanimously elected unopposed into office as the Deputy Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
He bragged before the traditional rulers in Bende that if Ben Kalu fails to come and bow down before him for the 2023 elections, he will ensure he fails but Ben Kalu called his bluff and won his elections which was announced before his. That remains one of his pains. He felt demystified at all points and when he failed to stop Ben Kalu as Deputy Speaker, he cried like a baby in senate, that Nigeria has not been fair to him because Nigeria chose the best in a young dynamic man and left the deceit in a chronic betrayer like him.
The world should ask Orji Kalu to state when he has given a penny to Ben Kalu, contract as a governor or project as a principal officer of the senate. The deputy speaker is the one giving to him. Who then is the benefactor? The Deputy Speaker became a Local government chairman as a compensation for growing the party in 2003. It was a settlement for stepping down for the House of Reps office, still OUK fought him as a LGA chairman with his usual deceit. Ask Bende people about the story.
The world should know that Orji Kalu’s frustration is beyond business and politics. If he pushes further, we will unearth it. He hates Benjamin Kalu for failing to do his bidding, for being a man of grace and favour. It’s high time he allowed the innocent young man who is doing Nigeria proud to be. Orji Uzor Kalu is not God. He is rather the serial liar and betrayer.
As for Gov Alex Otti, Ben Kalu never had any contact with Alex Otti or anyone from his bank in the course of his business with Orji Kalu. I doubt it there was any reason to meet him.
It was later that his law firm was retained by Access Bank and it was not through Alex Otti. The company secretary of the Access Bank did it not Otti. So, attacking him personally is a weak response to his constructive criticism. Instead of addressing the issues, you are throwing in OUK awful relationship with Ben Kalu. The deputy speaker still insists on more transparency you promised Abians and accountability. You should do more than embarking on media attacks against your critics.
Nwachukwu is a public affairs analyst from Umuahia
