Dr. ONU is a distinguished and brilliant scholar academic and engineer before his foray into politics.
He was born on December 1st 1951 in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State of Nigeria.
He made a First Class Degree in Chemical Engineering in the University of Lagos before travelled to the United Kingdom for his post graduate studies in the prestigious University of California Berkley United States of America that culminated in the award to him of a doctorate in Chemical Engineering.
The University of California, Berkley is one of the IVY leagues Universities in the United States. It is reputed to be the home of the American Revolution.
He made a Division in his School Certificate examination that he wrote in Izzi Boys High School, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. He is also alumnus of Mary Knoll College, Okuku, Ogoja, Cross River State.
He is a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science; the most prestigious professional association of country.
He lectured in the University of Port Harcourt, Department of Chemical Engineering for many years.
He is the first democratically elected Governor of old Abia State from February 1992 to November 1993 under the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC). He was Chairman of the Governors Forum from 19992-1993.
The NRC was one of the two political parties decreed by the then Federal Military Government of General Babangida’s political transition from military to civil democratic Rule in the early 1990s
But his four years term was cut short when General Sani Abacha on the 20th November 1993 toppled the National Interim Government set up by General Babangida after he annulled the 12th June 1993 presidential election widely believed to have been won by Chief MKO Abiola.
A rugged, consistent and determined opposition leader he joined the All Peoples Party (later ANPP) after the ban on political activities were lifted in 1998 on the death of General Abacha and the taking over the reins of government by General Abdul Salam Abubukar who initiated a political transition from military to civil democratic rule in the country.
He emerged as the first presidential candidate of the APP but never contested the 1999 presidential election because the APP went into a political alliance with the Alliance for Democracy and he had to step down for the Alliance for Democracy presidential candidate, Chief Olu Falae.
Again in 2003 was a strong presidential aspirant under the platform of the Party for the nomination of its presidential candidate for the 2003 presidential election.
He later became the National Chairman of the defunct ANPP at most trying period of the party when consistent poaching by the PDP of its leading members and internal wrangling has progressively reduced the party from its previous status as the biggest opposition party in the country to a shadow of its former self.
However through adroit administrative management of the party, Dr. Onu was able to stem the gradually drifting and decimation of the party until its merger with the defunct CAN; CPC and factions of APGA and DPP to form the All Progressives Congress in 2013.
After the registration of APC by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Dr. Onu was among the senior leaders of the APC that were co-opted into its Interim National Executive Committee that managed the party from July 2013 to 11th June 2014 when a substantive National Executive Committee was elected.
Dr. Onu was appointed the Chairman of the APC presidential Screening Committee that screened the presidential aspirants that contested for the nomination of the presidential candidate of the Party for the 2015 presidential election.
He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Party.
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