Former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu has alleged that former President Olusegun Obasanjo agreed to serve only one term in 1999 before handing over power to a northern leader, but later abandoned the arrangement.
Kalu made the disclosure during an interview on Arise News, linking the alleged agreement to the political negotiations that preceded Obasanjo’s emergence as president following the death of MKO Abiola and the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
According to Kalu, the understanding involved himself, Obasanjo and former military Head of State Ibrahim Babangida. It was intended to allow Obasanjo to serve from 1999 to 2003 before power returned to the North.
The senator representing Abia North said the disagreement over the alleged arrangement contributed to the breakdown of his relationship with Obasanjo, whom he had previously supported politically.
“I had a very good relationship with President Obasanjo, and it went sour,” Kalu said, insisting that the fallout was not driven by personal ambition.
He maintained that he had expected the former president to honour the commitments reached before his election.
“We discussed that he would be president for four years. We discussed that he would only do four years and leave, and another person would take over,” he said.
Kalu also recalled supporting Obasanjo after his release from prison and helping to secure his political success.
Although he identified Babangida as the northern leader associated with the proposed transfer of power, Kalu said he could not confirm claims that he had been considered for the vice-presidential position under the arrangement.
“Whether he had given IBB to make me vice president, I don’t know. Man, I never thought about that,” he said.
Beyond the alleged agreement, Kalu accused Obasanjo of using state institutions against political opponents and interfering with elected governors during his administration. He also alleged that his business interests suffered because of their political differences.
The former governor said his experience had strengthened his belief that political leaders should honour their commitments, arguing that the failure to keep agreements was a major source of his longstanding disagreement with Obasanjo.
