13/09/2025
Onoja: Bello Promised Me Governorship, Then Backed Ododo Last Minute
Former Kogi State Deputy Governor Edward Onoja has revealed that ex-Governor Yahaya Bello assured him for four years that he would be his preferred successorโonly to switch support to Usman Ododo a day before the APC governorship primaries.
Onoja, now a board member of the South-East Development Commission, shared the revelation during an interview on the MIC ON Podcast.
โFor four years before 2023, he would call me and say, โYou will succeed me, get prepared.โ I planned, I worked, and when the time came, he gave all of us the chance to contest,โ Onoja said.
He added that Bello initially directed about seven cabinet members, including himself, to obtain APC nomination forms. But at the eleventh hour, Bello threw his weight behind Ododo.
โWhen he told me a day before the primaries, I said, โYou are the boss, so letโs go get the job done, but I hope you are not making a mistake,โโ Onoja recalled.
Despite the setback, Onoja emphasized his loyalty to the APC and his role in Ododoโs eventual victory in the November 2023 governorship election.
