‘I HAVE NO REGRETS GOING TO JAIL; IT MADE ME MORE HUMBLE’ — ORJI KALU

Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, has said he has no regrets spending six months in prison, describing the experience as a life-changing period that taught him humility and gave him a different perspective on life.

Kalu also commended those who were instrumental to his imprisonment, saying the experience was like attending school, from which he emerged with valuable lessons.

The former Abia State governor made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Monday.

In December 2019, a Federal High Court in Lagos convicted Kalu on a 39-count charge and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. However, the Supreme Court nullified the trial in May 2020, ruling that the trial judge, Justice Mohammed Idris, lacked the jurisdiction to preside over the case.

Kalu was subsequently released after spending approximately six months in custody.

Reflecting on the experience, the senator said he remained grateful to God for the period behind bars, insisting that the Nigerian judiciary still had judges capable of upholding the law.

“In every twelve, there must be Judas. There are still some minds in the judiciary system, whether it’s Abuja High Court, whether it’s Federal High Court, whether it’s Court of Appeal, and to the Supreme Court, people’s minds are still very sound,” he said.

He added, “They still see the law where it’s supposed to be seen, so I have no regret being put in jail. I was very happy to God, and I learned a lot being there for six months.”

Asked about the lessons he learnt during his incarceration, Kalu said the experience made him more humble and changed his understanding of life.

“It made me more humble. It made me to realise that life is not the same thing I used to think about. So I’m very grateful to God I was there. And I gave kudos to people that sent me there because it’s like going to school. And I graduated there, and I’m very happy I went there,” he said.

Despite expressing gratitude for the experience, Kalu maintained that his conviction was wrong. However, he declined to dwell on the matter, saying he respected the judge’s decisions.

“No, it wasn’t the right thing to do. But I don’t like to discuss this because the judge had his reasons. When the judge did it, I praised him. I support all his decisions,” he stated.

The senator also advised Nigerians dissatisfied with judgments delivered by lower courts to pursue appeals through the judicial system rather than resorting to public criticism.

According to him, litigants should continue seeking redress through higher courts until they obtain justice.

“If a court has a jurisdiction to hear this, and you are not favoured there, move up, always till you’ll get to the last. You’ll get justice. Because one mind and three minds or five minds in the middle are better than one mind,” Kalu said.