President Bola Tinubu and former president Muhammadu Buhari have expressed condolences over the passing of Chief Ogbonnaya Onu — the first civilian governor of Abia State and former minister of science, technology and innovation.
Onu, who was 72 years old, reportedly died on Thursday at a hospital in Abuja.
Tinubu, in a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, described Onu as “a luminous star in Nigeria’s political firmament.” He celebrated Onu’s life as an “accomplished scholar, first-class engineer; a man of proven integrity; defiant to indiscipline, but ever yielding to the highest standards of rectitude.”
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According to the president, Onu “epitomized Nigeria in concord; in wholeness, as the late statesman believed in and defended Nigeria’s unity, advocated peace, and promoted fellowship across the Niger.”
In a similar vein, former President Buhari described Onu as “one of the nation’s most outstanding scientific minds and intellectuals”.
Buhari added, “He was an intellectual giant. My heart goes out to his family, the government and people of Abia State, and the country at large. May his soul rest in peace.”
Buhari, who once ran as a presidential candidate under the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) with Onu as the party’s national chairman, said “my heart goes out to his family, the government and people of Abia State, and the country at large.”
The deceased politician’s career spanned politics, science, and public service. He was one of the aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) that sought to replace Buhari as president ahead of the 2023 election.