Edward Onoja, former Kogi State Deputy Governor and current South-East Development Commission board member, disclosed that ex-Governor Yahaya Bello promised him the governorship succession for four years, only to back current Governor Usman Ododo on the eve of the 2023 All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries.

Speaking on the MIC ON Podcast released Saturday, Onoja recounted how Bello, his principal, encouraged his preparation as successor throughout their tenure. "For four years before 2023, he was the one who called me and said, ‘You will succeed me, get prepared.’ And of course, I planned, I worked," Onoja said. Bello instructed Onoja and six other cabinet members to buy APC nomination forms, but ultimately endorsed Ododo, his former Chief of Staff, a day before the primaries.

"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,’" Onoja recalled, accepting the decision despite personal disappointment. He remained loyal to the APC, campaigning for Ododo, who won the November 2023 election against SDP's Murtala Ajaka and PDP's Dino Melaye.

Onoja, who served as Bello’s Chief of Staff before becoming deputy governor in 2019, expressed no bitterness, emphasizing party unity. The revelation sheds light on internal APC dynamics in Kogi, where Bello's influence remains strong. Ododo’s administration has since faced challenges, including flood risks, scrutiny over Bello’s whereabouts amid an EFCC probe and circulated videos of House of Assembly members taking instructions from the former Governor.