Not until this engaging discussion with the present governor of Ebonyi state, Francis Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, not many would believe, considering his youthful disposition, that he had such an in-depth political relationship with the late Ogbonnaya Onu, first civilian governor of Abia State.
In a no- holds- barred interview with the media team of AIT and Mr. Benard Akoma, at Ebonyi government lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, October 14, 2024, the governor took the team to a long political merry go round of intimate and trustworthy political relationship with Onu.
Describing Onu in flowering languages he said “he was an exceptional leader who is very consistent and proactive and a leader who stands and believe in justice, equity and fairness.” Onu who is from Uburu in Ohaozara local government of Ebonyi State, contested the last presidential primaries on the platform of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
Rt. Hon Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, Executive Governor Ebonyi State
Drawing attention to what happened in Eagle Square during APC convention in 2023, the governor retorted, “it was only Onu who had the courage to challenge the perceived injustice being meted to the people of South East in the presidential position of Nigeria. According to him,” even though we have a president, in Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who had made enormous sacrifice for APC to survive as a party, Onu still queried the violation of the motto of the party which is Justice.” But for denying the South East the opportunity to produce the presidential candidate of the party at that convention, Onu asked rhetorically, “where is the justice, where is the justice and where is the justice he thundered several times,” the governor stated.
He said while people describe Onu as arrogant, self centered, he disagrees, saying that is the character of a person who knows his worth.
Hear him; I started hearing about Ogbonnaya Onu early 1995 to 1996 down to 1998, when he started nursing the ambition of being the governor of Ebonyi State. Someone I worked with, Chief Bonny Ofoke was the chairman of a party called DPN then and Onu was his close ally. Then we saw Onu as a very intelligent and hard working young man. What gave us joy then was how many of our elders were honouring the young man.
At last that election was aborted and Onu went to America but was still in touch with Bonny Ofoke. There was a local government election and DPN won Izzi, my local government and Bonny Ofoke local government too because of the influence of Onu. Meanwhile Onu was still wishing that he would be the governor of Ebonyi anytime governorship election holds. So in 1998 to 1999, Onu contested on the platform of All Peoples Party, APP against Dr. Sam Egwu who was in the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.
Incidentally we have joined PDP leaving Onu behind in APP. Walter Feghabor was the military governor of Ebonyi then. Again Onu contested the primaries of APP with Chief Chris Nwankwo, a notable figure in Izzi local goverment and Chris talked to so many people from Izzi to vote for APP. But we did not agree that APP should be the party to rule Ebonyi then, and we voted for Sam Egwu who was a member of our party. But APP still won Izzi Local government, and that is how Justice Frank Edem, now a judge of Ebonyi High Court, became the Chairman of the council then.
Late 1999 to early 2000, when PDP did what they called non-elective congress, all those who suffered for the party were removed. I was in my house when someone called me and said that I am no longer the ward youth leader of PDP, without any reason. At that point we joined the Abuja group of the party and at the end of the day they did not give us the opportunity to present candidates for the election, because the governor Dr. Sam Egwu had assumed leadership of the party. So I had to return to APP which later became ANPP with Onu as the leader.
We met with Onu again in early 2003 and he still wanted to contest for governorship under the party. But we persuaded him not to because if he did, the whole Abakaliki bloc would cast their votes to PDP because of Egwu who is from the zone. That is how Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku, flew the flag of ANPP then. After the ANPP lost the election, in 2007, Onu came back and took control of the party again because Nwuruku later resigned from politics and took appointment with INEC.
But in 2006 PDP zoned the state Assembly seat to my constituency, Izzi West, I indicated interest. But because, the party still considered us as non-conformists, they gave the ticket to Augustine Nwankwegu. I went back to ANPP to contest the election and that is how I started to relate with Onu closely again.
He was so passionate about me because he believed that the way I campaigned was different from the way others campaigned. I saw a man whose carriage was a kind of encouragement to the younger generation. Many people look at it as arrogance, some say he was so full of himself but I believe he was a man who knows his worth and that is why he was very open to everybody.
When we lost that election, I went back to my bricks laying business. In the course of that I was drafted back to PDP just by providence. A friend bought me form to contest the Assistant Secretary of the party. At the congress of the party, I was elected. I told Onu about it and he never for once displayed anger about what I did.
My next encounter with Onu was when we joined APC. Then Onu was the leader of the party in Ebonyi. He was not happy about us joining the party and he showed it by abstaining from the ceremony. But during the process, he called a meeting in his house at Uburu where he told us that whether we join the party or not that APC is already strong in Ebonyi. But we joked about it telling him instead that the party is only strong in Abuja where it has the president but here in Ebonyi, we are the one to make it strong.
Finally, my last encounter with Onu was during the 2023 APC presidential convention in Abuja. During that convention, Onu displayed the exceptional leadership in him. Onu is a man who believes in truth and he spoke the truth at that event. He told the world that the party should not desecrate the motto of APC which is justice. According to him, if South East could not be remembered this time around for the office of the president of Nigeria, he asked, repeatedly, “where is the justice, where is the justice.” That is vintage Ogbonnaya Onu, a consistent and a proactive human being.