Bello Rejected Me as Successor for Being ‘Too Qualified’ — Ex-Kogi Deputy Governor Onoja

|By Chinwendu Nwani

Former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja, has revealed why ex-Governor Yahaya Bello passed him over in the succession race, despite an earlier promise to hand him the baton.

Onoja, who once served as Bello’s Chief of Staff, said the former governor personally told him that he was “too qualified” for the role, a factor that tilted the choice in favor of Governor Usman Ododo.

Speaking on the Mic On podcast on Saturday, Onoja disclosed that Bello outlined three reasons for sidelining him in the 2023 governorship race.

“Surprisingly, he said my capacity was too much,” Onoja recounted. “Secondly, he said my people in Kogi East do not really like me because I supported a non-Igala. Finally, he said there could be other roles he would have at the centre where he would love me to serve with him.”

Despite the political setback, Onoja insisted he harbored no regrets about serving under Bello. He described the former governor as one who gave him a platform to “serve, learn, grow, and network,” noting that Bello had encouraged him to prepare for succession as far back as four years before the 2023 election.

Onoja added that several cabinet members, including himself, were asked to obtain nomination forms, but Bello ultimately threw his weight behind Ododo.

“When he broke the news to me a day before the primaries, I told him he is the boss, and I hoped he wasn’t making a mistake,” Onoja said.