Uche Ikonne: Death of Abia PDP guber candidate 2 months after collapsing at campaign rally raises questions about fitness of political candidates
The Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abia State, Professor Uchenna Ikonne, is dead. His death comes 45 days before the 2023 Gubernatorial election, scheduled to hold on March 11, 2023.
In a statement by his son, Dr. Chikezie Uche-Ikonne, Professor Ikonne died on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at the National Hospital, Abuja.
“I regret to announce the death of my father, Professor Eleazar Uchenna Ikonne, who died at the National Hospital Abuja today January 25, 2023, by 4 am after a brief illness,” Dr. Chikezie Uche-Ikonne said in the statement.
Sources in the State informed Neusroom that Professor Uche Ikonne has not appeared at any political campaign or rally since January 2023.
“Ikonne has been ill for a while. The last time he attended a political campaign was in November 2022,” the source, who preferred not to be mentioned, told a Neusroom correspondent.
“It is a big blow to PDP in the State. Professor Uche Ikonne collapsed during a campaign in Aba in November 2022 and was flown to London for medical attention,” the source added.
Ikonne’s death is now sparking debates about the fitness of candidates running for political offices, as citizens call for mandatory physical and psychiatric evaluation to determine the fitness of political candidates.
According to Section 137 (2) a and b of the Nigerian 1999 Constitution as amended, “a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if the person is adjudged to be a lunatic or declared to be of unsound mind”.
In November 2022, the President of Nigerian Medical, Uche Ojinmah, proposed that politicians contesting for elections should undergo “simple medical check-ups such as chest X-ray, cardiac echocardiography, abdominal ultrasound scan, urinalysis, kidney function test, liver function test, blood pressure, and blood glucose assessment,” in order to determine their physical well-being. He added that “psychiatric evaluation” should also be conducted on political aspirants
Recall that in 2010, Nigeria lost a sitting President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who had been in and out of hospital before he was elected president. Although many Nigerians had raised concerns about Yar’Adua’s fitness before the election, the ruling PDP had doused their fears by insisting he was fit to run.
Born on August 15, 1956, Professor Ikonne is a native of Agburuike Nuslu in Isiala Ngwa North, Abia State. Ngwa, from where the present Governor of Abia State, Okeizie Ikpeazu, hails from, is the largest and most populous ethnic group in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria.
Raised in the State, Professor Ikonne attended Ngwa High School, Aba, Abia State, before moving abroad to study Optometry at Manila Central University, Philippines. Upon his return to Nigeria in 1985, he served as a consulting optometrist at the Park Lane General Hospital in Enugu.
In December 2015, Professor Ikonne became the 7th Substantive Vice-Chancellor of the Abia State University (ABSU), having served as a Rector at Abia State Polytechnic, Aba between 2014-2015.
His emergence as the PDP Governorship candidate was met with criticism by many people within the State who argued that another Ngwa man should not rule the State after eight years of Governor Ikpeazu.
With the demise of Prof Ikonne, PDP in Abia State is expected to conduct a new primary election within 14 days in accordance with the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The new Party’s Governorship candidate will be contesting against Alex Otti of the Labour Party, Gregory Ibe of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), and Enyinnaya Nwafor of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
Attempts by Neusroom to reach Dr. Eze Chiamnayo, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Abia State, for comments were unsuccessful.
