Former deputy governor of Kogi State, Chief dward David Onoja, has revealed that his former boss, Yahaya Bello, assured him for four years that he would succeed him as governor, only to change his decision a day before the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries election.
Onoja disclosed this during an interview on MIC ON Podcast published on Saturday night, where he recounted his political journey and his relationship with former Governor Bello.
NIGERIA PROJECT recalls that Onoja had served as Chief of State for about four years before elevating to a deputy governor under Bello until the end of their tenure.
“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 the Igala-born politician, about seven cabinet members at the time, including himself, picked up the All Progressives Congress (APC) nomination forms on Bello’s directive, but in the end, Bello’s support was with 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 said.
Onoja revealed that Bello broke the news to him just a 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 said despite the turn of events, he remained committed to ensuring victory for the party’s eventual candidate and winner of the last Kogi State governorship election, Ododo, who went on to succeed his ex-principal.
