Former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Edward Onoja, has opened up on how his former boss, Yahaya Bello, abandoned him in the state’s 2023 governorship succession plan despite earlier promising him the seat.
Onoja made the revelation during a candid conversation with Seun Okinbaloye on the MIC On Podcast, where he detailed the behind-the-scenes intrigues that shaped Bello’s choice of successor.
According to him, Bello had personally assured him years ahead of the polls that he would hand over power to him.
“Four years before 2023, Yahaya Bello called me and said, ‘You will succeed me. Get prepared.’ It was shocking and disappointing when he told me he had chosen Ododo, because when a friend gives you his word, you expect him to be bound by it,” Onoja recalled.
When asked whether he regretted serving under Bello, Onoja insisted he bore no grudge.
“Not at all (I have no regret serving Yahaya Bello). It was a great experience for the two young men being trusted into the position of power. There could be some issues, but no regret at all. Because he had given me opportunities to learn, to grow, to network and he has given me a national face,” he said.
On whether Bello encouraged him to join the governorship race, the former deputy governor replied:
“Let’s say he did make some of us go pick up our forms.”
He explained that seven cabinet members, including him, obtained forms to contest the primaries, only for Bello to eventually rally behind Ododo.
“When he brought the news to me a day before the primaries, I told him, ‘You are the boss. You are over me and what you see is what I see. Let’s go get the job done. But I hope you are not making a mistake,’” Onoja recounted.
According to him, Bello broke the news in a private conversation.
“He said, ‘Let’s send somebody else, one of us.’ And he gave some reasons. One, surprisingly, he said my capacity was too much. And I don’t know what that meant. Secondly, he did say that my people of Kogi East do not really like me because I supported a Gala person like himself for power,” Onoja revealed.
The former deputy governor added that Bello also hinted at the possibility of helping him secure a role at the federal level. Despite the setback, he said he chose to accept the outcome.
“He was the boss… I felt it’s not God’s time. Maybe there’s something bigger ahead,” he said