EX-Anambra Senator, Annie Okonkwo dies at 63
By Emma Ogbuehi
A former Senator who represented Anambra Central senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Annie Okonkwo is dead.
Sources claimed that he died in United States after a long battle with a terminal illness.
A family member who spoke to Vanguard via the telephone on condition of anonymity confirmed the news of Okonkwo death.
The deceased who was a foremost industrialist recently celebrated his 63rd birthday on May 23, 2023.
His death is coming a few days to the inauguration ceremony of his son, Uchenna Harris Okonkwo, who is the House of Representatives member-elect for Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of the state.
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The late Okonkwo was elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, represented the District in the Sixth National Assembly from 2007-2011.
He was also a former governorship aspirant during the 2010 governorship election in the State, but lost to the then governor, Peter Obi, who was re-elected.
In the build-up to the 2015 election, Okonkwo led a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the merger talks with other opposition parties to form the All Progressives
Congress (APC). Explaining the action, Okonkwo said it was in the interest of the South-East to join other regions in
the push to rescue Nigeria from the shackles of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP). In 2019, he announced his retirement from active politics.
Okonkwo was born on 23 May 1960 in Ojoto, near Onitsha in Anambra State. He obtained an Advanced Diploma in Management, Harvard University, USA (1997–1998), Advanced Diploma in Commercial Law and Practice, University of Lagos (1995–1997) and Advanced Diploma in Marketing, University of Lagos (1994–1995). Entering business, he built a conglomerate employing over 7,000 people that includes firms such as Reliance Telecomm, Clemco Industries, Modern Communications (satellite TV Network), MacClemm Marketing Communications, Sunflower Nigeria and Pentagon Oil.
In the Senate, he was appointed to committees on Upstream Petroleum Resources, Police Affairs, Environment (vice-chairman) and Agriculture.
His family is yet to release an official statement on his demise.
