Ogbonnaya Onu, a prominent Nigerian politician and former Minister of Science and Technology during the Muhammadu Buhari administration, has died at the age of 73.
The sad news was confirmed by the family in a statement issued by Uzoma Onu.
According to reports, the late Onu fell ill after the 2022 All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary and spent six months abroad for medical treatment.
A seasoned politician, Onu was one of the presidential aspirants on the platform of the APC ahead of the 2023 general election.
He had a long and distinguished political career, serving as the first civilian governor of Abia State.
In 1999, Onu emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Party (APP), which later evolved into the All Nigerian Progressives Party (ANPP).
However, he stepped down from the race to support Olu Falae, who became the joint candidate of the APP and Alliance for Democracy (AD) following a merger between the two parties.
The exact cause of Onu’s death has not been disclosed, but it is reported that he passed away in an undisclosed hospital in Nigeria.