Presidency 2023: Ogbonnaya Onu denies endorsing Peter Obi

The former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, on Wednesday denied endorsing the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, for the 2023 presidential election. Dr. Onu in a statement on Wednesday, emphasised that he never at any time endorsed the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, for the presidential election in 2023.

Onu in the statement observed: “Early this morning, many national newspapers carried the story of the endorsement of the Labour Party Presidential Candidate by one Dr. SKC Ogbonnia, who was reported to have contested for the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Primaries in 2019.

“A few minutes ago, someone drew my attention to an article in circulation of that same story but captioned with my name, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, instead of the name of the person who had issued and signed the statement.”

The former minister declared: “Dr. SKC Ogbonnia is a completely different person from Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. My surname is Onu and not Ogbonnia. My other name is Ogbonnaya and not Ogbonnia. The initials SKC are not mine. I never contested for the Presidential Primaries of the APC in 2019.”

Onu insisted on his loyalty to the ruling APC, saying he never change party all the years of his political career.

He stated: “In my long political carrier, I have never changed my political party. I have also never been involved in any anti-party activity. It is also important to remember that I served meritoriously as the National Chairman of defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), that for a long time, was the largest opposition political party in the country.

“I therefore request that the general public should make the distinction between Dr. SKC Ogbonnia and Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

“The attempt to copy the statement made by Dr. SKC Ogbonnia and put my name as the caption is mischievous, wicked, and unfortunate.

“We need a high level of civility in the conduct of politics in our dear nation.”