Action Peoples Party (APP) has announced Prof. Osondu Akoma as the deputy governorship candidate and running mate to the governorship candidate of the party, Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu.
A chieftain of the party told our correspondent that Osondu Akoma is a dedicated, committed, well-respected academic and technocrat from Ukwa bloc of Abia South senatorial district.
“Prof. Osondu Akoma’s emergence as the running mate to our Governorship Candidate, Hon. Mascot Uzor Kalu shows that this is already a confirmed winning combination for the 2023 Governorship election.
“We are now fully ready for the electoral battle in 2023. Hon. Mascot is a force in the governoship race because he is from Abia North—a Catholic with his mother a Presbyterian—and the deputy is an Anglican from a marginalised Ukwa bloc. This ticket is the most solid in Abia State and, by the Grace of God, it will end in praise. Abia is going to be APP,” the chieftain stated.
PROFILE OF PROF. OSONDU AKOMA
Prof. Osondu C. Akoma is the last child of Late Ven. Israel and Manda Akoma of Obeaku-Ndoki in Ukwa East L.G.A. of Abia State. Born at the tail end of the Nigeria/Biafra war on the 16th of December 1969, he attended Hospital Road primary school Aba, Ascension Junior Seminary Umuebulungwu-Asa, all in Abia State, Nigeria. Thereafter, he proceeded to the University of Benin, where he graduated with B.Sc. (Hons) Botany in 1990.
In 1992, he began working as a Field Overseer for Abiapalm Nig Ltd, Ukwa, Abia State, and rose to the position of Assistant Collection Manager in 2001. Prof. Akoma obtained his Ph.D in Botany, specializing in Limnology and Algology, in 2004 at the University of Benin under the strict guidance and tutelage of his academic father and mentor, Prof. Fred I. Opute.
His academic foray began at Benson Idahosa University as a Lecturer Grade II in 2005, and he rose to the rank of a full Professor in 2017. He served as a Technical Expert for the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia under the auspices of the Technical Aid Corps between 2006 and 2008. During this period, he taught several plant biology courses at both graduate and undergraduate levels and acquired pedagogical training on student-centered active learning and the use of ICT tools in the teaching and learning process. He has over thirty (30) research articles published in reputable peer-reviewed local and international journals.
Prof. Akoma has held the positions of Director Academic Planning (2012–2014), Head of Department, Biological Sciences (2016–2017), Dean, Faculty of Science (2017–2020), and Director ICT (2018–present). He has a passion for service and is a strong believer in efficiency, financial prudence, and the fear of God in all dealings.
He is married to Mrs. Ijeoma Osondu-Akoma and they are blessed with a son, Miekikem Osondu-Akoma.
