Former Kogi State deputy governor Edward David Onoja has revealed that ex-Governor Yahaya Bello assured him for four years that he would succeed him as governor, only to change his decision a day before the party’s primary election.
Onoja made the disclosure during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast, where he recounted his political journey and his relationship with the former governor. Onoja had served as Chief of Staff for about four years before becoming deputy governor under Bello.
“For four years before 2023, he (Yahaya Bello) was the one who called me and said, ‘You will succeed me, get prepared.’ And of course, I planned, I worked, and when it was time, he gave all of us the opportunity (to contest),” Onoja said.
According to him, about seven cabinet members at the time, including himself, picked up the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination forms on Bello’s directive. However, Bello’s eventual support went to the current governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo.
“At the end of the day, his heart and his choice was with the current governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo,” he stated.
Onoja revealed that Bello broke the news to him just one day before the party primaries, a decision he respected despite his disappointment. “When he broke the news to me a day before the primaries, I told him, ‘You are the boss, you are over me, what you see is what I see, so let’s go get the job done, but I hope you are not making a mistake.’ There were no issues, and then we went to the field and did our best for our candidate,” he stated.
Onoja, who is now a board member of the South-East Development Commission (SEDC), emphasised that despite the turn of events, he remained committed to ensuring victory for the party’s eventual candidate.
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