The Chief Whip of the Senate, Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu, said he is grateful to God for allowing him to go to prison and return.
Kalu, who spoke in Umuahia on Tuesday said going to prison was a good experience.
Kalu gave this response to comments credited to Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia governor, and Enyinnaya Abaribe, the Senate minority leader.
They reportedly said Kalu had not recovered from his prison experience following statement credited to Kalu that roads in Abia were either funded by the federal government or Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Recall that Kalu was sentenced to Kuje Correctional Centre for 12 years on December 5, 2019 for allegedly misappropriating about N7.1 billion, while serving as Abia governor between 1999 and 2007.
However, the Supreme Court on May 8, 2020 upturned his trial and conviction by Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
The apex court had said that Idris lacked the jurisdiction to try the matter, having been elevated to the Court of Appeal.
Reacting to the comments against him, the lawmaker, a former Governor of Abia State, stated that God allowed him to be imprisoned because “it is part of my life script.”
“My conspirators thought I would be president in 2023, so they decided to cut my journey short at all cost.
“But you see, these people are not God. They think I am ashamed to have gone to prison.
“I am not and I don’t blame them because they don’t know my relationship with God.
“Joseph went to prison, even former President Olusegun Obasanjo went to prison.
“My going to prison is part of my life script and I am thankful God allowed it.
“They are little minds and wicked people, who have refused to do any project for their own people .
Kalu recently criticised the state government for failing to address the huge infrastructure deficit in Abia.
He said the ongoing road repairs in Aba were funded by the Niger Delta Development Commission and Federal Government and not Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu’s administration.
He further criticised the administration for failing to regularly pay workers’ salaries as at when due.
However, the Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi, said the state government secured N27.4 billion World Bank facility to fund road projects in Aba.
Okiyi refuted the allegation that the projects were being executed by the federal government, saying that federal government does not build internal roads in states.