Onunwor was born in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria where he attended primary and secondary schools.
[1] In the November 1997 general election, running as a non-partisan, he defeated incumbent mayor Wallace D. Davis with 62.56% of the vote.
[2] In the November 2001 general election, running as a Republican, he was re-elected with 71.19% of the vote defeating Democrat Eric J.
[1] After being convicted for racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion,[3] he resigned on September 1, 2004.
[1][4] In September 2005, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court judge James S. Gwin to nine years in prison.