Former Abia State governor and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has predicted a landslide victory for President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
This is as he revealed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo broke a one-term agreement reached with former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.
Kalu made the revelations on Monday, November 9, 2026, during an exclusive appearance on Arise PrimeTime, anchored by Charles Aniagolu.
The former Senate Chief Whip, who chairs the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission (SEDC), also spoke on Tinubu’s reforms, party loyalty, his Senate presidency ambition, his business and media interests, and his prison experience.
Obasanjo’s one-term pact
According to Kalu, the understanding was that Obasanjo would serve only one four-year term before power returned to the North, to accommodate the circumstances of his emergence in 1999 after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
He said the agreement was reached at a meeting involving himself, Obasanjo and Babangida at Obasanjo’s residence in Ota, Ogun State.
Asked if Babangida was expected to succeed Obasanjo in 2003, with Kalu as his running mate, Kalu said he could not confirm the vice-presidential arrangement but stood by the tenure agreement.
“Well, I cannot be certain about the vice presidency, but I can tell you, yes, this was our discussion in Ota. That he would leave, he would leave in four years and give back to the North,” he disclosed.
He named an aide of Obasanjo from Benue State, Adobeye, as a witness to the discussion.
“What we discussed and agreed there were people there, there were people there, like His Boy, Obasanjo’s Boy, Adobeye from Benue State; he was sitting down there where we sat, me, Ibrahim Babangida and President Obasanjo. Where we agreed, we agreed,” he said.
Kalu said the disagreement over that arrangement was among the issues that damaged his relationship with Obasanjo, whom he also accused of using institutions like the EFCC to pursue opponents and remove governors unconstitutionally.
He maintained that his opposition to Obasanjo was not driven by personal ambition but by disagreement with what he considered a departure from their political understanding and constitutional principles.
Tinubu will win
In 2027, Kalu dismissed any suggestion that Tinubu could lose, declaring: “President Tinubu will win. President Tinubu have no competition.”
He said the APC’s strength goes beyond the President, insisting the party has a broad structure and substantial grassroots support that social media does not reflect.
He appealed for political stability, comparing Tinubu’s tenure to that of former President Muhammadu Buhari: “We allow President Buhari to do his eight years and go, and we must allow Tinubu to do his eight years and go.”
Defending Tinubu’s reforms, Kalu argued that the President had stabilised Nigeria’s economy at the macroeconomic level, though more work remained at the household and business levels.
“President Tinubu has been able to stabilise this economy on the macro level. What we’re battling now, they’ve stabilised economy on the micro level. What we are battling is the micro level,” he said.
He said the next priority should be restoring agricultural production, improving security, and creating an environment where manufacturers can access raw materials and operate at higher capacity.
Kalu said reforms inevitably come with temporary difficulties, citing Brazil’s experience under former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose first inauguration he attended when, according to him, everything was down in Brazil before reforms began.
“You can’t do reform without people suffering. You cannot, it’s not possible,” he declared.
He cited the relative stabilisation of foreign exchange and fuel prices as important gains, arguing that businesses can now plan with greater predictability than when the dollar could jump to N2,500 overnight.
Party loyalty over ethnicity
Addressing criticisms from sections of the Igbo political establishment, Kalu defended his decision to remain in the APC, saying it was unreasonable to expect him to abandon his party to support candidates of other platforms simply because they were Igbo.
“I’m an Igbo man by birth. I have saved Igbos and fought for the Igbos,” he said, adding: “Party loyalty is number one.”
He explained: “When I’m in my village, I’m an Igbo man. When I’m in Igbere, ethnic loyalty in Igbere, yes. When I’m in Abia, ethnic loyalty in Abia. When I come to Lagos, I will remove ethnic loyalty to be a Nigerian so I can fit in with other Nigerians.”
On speculations about becoming Senate President, Kalu said he was not lobbying for the office but would accept it if offered by God and the APC leadership, particularly President Tinubu.
“If I’m given, if I’m given in my house, I will take. That is the truth,” he said, insisting he had never approached the President to request the position.
He promised to groom younger Nigerians for leadership, saying political leadership should not be regarded as a permanent entitlement.
Dangote, PDP and business
Recalling his entry into politics, Kalu said Aliko Dangote thought he was a fool for wanting to abandon business to run for governor of Abia State.
“He said you must be very strong to think about that. He said you will not do that,” Kalu recalled.
Kalu said he played a significant role in financing the formation of the PDP ahead of the return to democracy in 1999, funding meetings, aircraft, honoraria and logistics, alongside contributions from figures like Atiku Abubakar, Yomi Edu and General Theophilus Danjuma.
“I became a fool before the PDP because after bringing all the money, they turned against me,” he said, adding that he also supported Obasanjo financially after his release from prison.
He credited Babangida, the late Professor Jibril Aminu and businessman Gilbert Chagoury with teaching him to cultivate relationships across social and political divides.
He recalled his friendship with the late Nelson Mandela, who introduced him to Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, and denied allegations linking him to the CIA and Israel’s Mossad: “I’m not an agent.”
On Forbes, Kalu said he would return to the rankings if he left politics, claiming: “In the history of Forbes, I’m the only person active in politics ever they have ranked.”
Media, prison, Safe Schools
Addressing his media ownership, Kalu insisted he had never interfered with editorial decisions at The Sun and The Telegraph, and challenged any journalist who worked in his organisations to produce evidence that he directed a story for or against anybody.
He recalled that Babangida once complained to him after The Sun published critical reports about him, but he only informed management and did not order a withdrawal, after speaking with veteran journalist Mike Awoyinfa.
Reflecting on his six months in prison before the Supreme Court set aside his conviction, Kalu said: “It made me more humble. It made me realise that life is not the same thing I used to think about.”
He said he had no personal grievance against the trial judge and expressed confidence in the judiciary as one of the strongest in sub-Saharan Africa.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee investigating the Safe Schools Initiative, set up after the Chibok abduction, Kalu said the investigation was progressing, but he would not disclose findings until the report is presented to the Senate and the Senate President.
Earlier, he traced his journey to determination and God’s grace, correcting that he was labour captain, not dining hall captain, at Government College Umuahia, and recalling building businesses across shipping, banking, oil trading, manufacturing and media.
Concluding, Kalu reiterated that his immediate priority is lawmaking and serving his constituents, maintaining that he has no ambition now but would accept higher responsibility if offered.
