Onoja breaks silence on Bello’s broken promise over Kogi governorship

Former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Edward Onoja, has revealed how ex-Governor Yahaya Bello assured him for years that he would be his successor, only to withdraw that support on the eve of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries.

Speaking on the MIC ON Podcast released Saturday, Onoja shared details of the political reversal that saw Bello switch allegiance to the current governor, Usman Ododo, at the last moment.

“For four years before 2023, he (Bello) was the one who called me and said, ‘You will succeed me, get prepared.’ And of course, I planned, I worked,” Onoja said.

He explained that Bello had encouraged about seven members of his cabinet, including himself, to obtain nomination forms to contest in the APC primaries. However, when the time came, Bello’s full support went to Ododo.

According to him, Bello informed him of the decision just one day before the party primary. Though disappointed, Onoja said he accepted the decision without resistance.

“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.’ There were no issues, and then we went to the field and did our best for our candidate,” he recalled.

Despite being sidelined, Onoja maintained his loyalty to the party and actively supported Ododo’s campaign, helping to secure his victory in the November 2023 election.

Now serving on the board of the South-East Development Commission, Onoja said he holds no personal grudge but acknowledged that the last-minute decision was a difficult one to accept.