Former federal lawmaker Shehu Sani has revealed that the late Ogbonnaya Onu was poised to become Nigeria’s President in 1999 before being sidelined.
Sani lamented Onu’s displacement, noting that he won the primaries of the All Peoples Party (APP) in Kaduna, attended by prominent figures like the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Chief Ojukwu.
According to Sani, Onu’s potential presidency was thwarted by a midnight merger between political parties, which favoured the military’s choice of Obasanjo and Falae.
Reflecting on Onu’s legacy, Sani praised him as one of Nigeria’s most distinguished and principled political figures, with a career spanning over four decades.
He highlighted Onu’s contributions as a senator, governor, presidential candidate, party chairman, and minister, noting his integrity and commitment to serving Nigeria.
Sani described the late Abia’s first governor as a true patriot who remained untainted by the politics of rancor and controversy, living modestly even during his tenure as a minister.
“He was deliberately displaced after a midnight merger with the then AD. The military wanted Obasanjo and Falae.
“The late Chief Onu is one of Nigeria’s most distinguished, decent and disciplined political figures in history.
“He has been an influential figure in Nigeria’s politics for over four decades. A Senator in the second republic,a Governor in the third republic and a presidential candidate, party chairman and minister in the fourth republic.
“He is a rare breed politician who lived as unstained, untainted and unblemished like his white apparel. He was a man who lived and served his country with decorum and impactful anonymity.
“He was a true patriot whose nationalist credentials can’t be faulted by any section of the country. Onu was an unnoticed and unappreciated gentleman and national leader. In words and in deeds, he lived above politics of rancour and controversy.
In 1999, the outgoing military wanted power to shift to the South West. Onu was a simple man.
“His known residence in Asokoro remains the one rented for him by his party, the ANPP, when he was elected its chairman. He remained there throughout his tenure as minister.
May his soul rest in peace,” Sani wrote on his X page (formerly Twitter).
