Edward Onoja, former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, has opened up about a political betrayal he experienced during the 2023 governorship race, revealing that ex-Governor Yahaya Bello had assured him for years that he would succeed him, only to shift support to Usman Ododo at the eleventh hour.
Onoja, who now serves as a board member of the South-East Development Commission, made the revelation during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast, released on Saturday.
According to him, Bello had privately endorsed him as his successor for four years, encouraging him to prepare for leadership and build capacity.
“For four years before 2023, he (Yahaya Bello) called me and said, ‘You will succeed me, get prepared.’ And of course, I planned and worked towards it,” Onoja recounted.
He further explained that when the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries approached, Bello asked about seven cabinet members, including himself, to pick up nomination forms, suggesting an open contest.
However, it later became clear that the former governor had already made up his mind.
“At the end of the day, his heart and his choice were with the current governor, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo,” he said.
Onoja added that he only learned of Bello’s final decision one day before the primaries, and though disappointed, he accepted the outcome with grace.
“When he broke the news to me a day before the primaries, I told him, ‘You are the boss. What you see is what I see. Let’s go get the job done. But I hope you are not making a mistake.’”
Despite the last-minute switch and personal setback, Onoja maintained that there were no hard feelings and that he remained loyal to the APC.
“There were no issues. We went to the field and did our best for our candidate,” he said, adding that he fully supported Ododo’s eventual victory in the November 2023 governorship election.
