Ex-Abia Governor, Ogbonnaya Onu Passes On At 72

Ogbonnaya Onu, the first civilian governor of Abia State, has reportedly passed away on Thursday.

According to reports, he died at a hospital in Abuja at the age of 72.

Dr. Onu was a distinguished scientist and educator before entering the political arena. He served as a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt before transitioning to national politics during the aborted civilian rule transition under President Ibrahim Babangida in the early 1990s.

Dr. Onu secured the governorship of Abia in 1992. However, his term was cut short due to the military takeover led by General Sani Abacha in 1994, which ousted the civilian administration of Ernest Shonekan.

Despite the interruption to his governorship, Dr. Onu remained a prominent figure in Nigerian politics. He contested for president on multiple occasions and most recently resigned as Minister of Science and Technology under President Buhari to participate in the 2022 presidential primaries.