Former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has denied endorsing the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
He made this known in a statement on Wednesday while reacting to media reports suggesting he has endorsed Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, according to Channels TV.
Onu resigned from his position after a directive from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), asking all members of his cabinet and appointees vying for electoral offices to resign on or before May 16. 2022.
The former minister who failed in his bid to become a presidential flagbearer for the All Progressive Congress threw his weight behind the ruling party’s flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the 2023 presidential election.
He said, “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.
“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.
“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.”
