Orji Kalu

Orji Uzor Kalu (born April 21, 1960) is a Nigerian politician and businessman. He served as the Governor of Abia State, Nigeria from May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2007.

Kalu is the chairman of SLOK Holding, a conglomerate with interests in shipping, banking, oil, manufacturing, and media. He also owns The Sun and New Telegraph newspapers.

His political career began in the Second Republic when he joined the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and later the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). After the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, he became a prominent figure in the pro-democracy movement.

In 1999, Kalu successfully ran for Governor of Abia State under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). During his tenure, he focused on infrastructure development, education, and poverty alleviation. He later formed the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and ran for President in 2007, but was unsuccessful.

In December 2019, Kalu was convicted of N7.1 billion fraud alongside his company, Slok Nigeria Limited, and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. However, the Supreme Court of Nigeria overturned the conviction in May 2020 and ordered a retrial. He was subsequently released from prison. In September 2021, the Court of Appeal upheld the retrial order.

Kalu was elected to the Nigerian Senate in 2019 to represent Abia North Senatorial District. He currently serves as the Chief Whip of the Senate.