Once upon a time, there lived two little birds in the mountains of Lokoja. They were inseparable. They called themselves Siamese twins. They called theirs the “New Direction Government” . For eight years, they held sway. They applied their boisterous personalities positively and negatively in equal measures. Then the music stopped playing, and their dance pattern changed. Their romance ended so badly that today they are not on talking terms. But they both had a swell time while it lasted, and how many of the favours of the Lord can they deny? This is the story of Yahaya Bello and Edward Onoja, the immediate past governor and deputy governor of Kogi State.
In 2016, fate smiled on Yahaya Bello when he was sworn in as governor of Kogi State under circumstances that have remained controversial to date. The death of Prince Abubakar Audu changed the political configuration of the state. The beneficiary of that change was Yahaya Bello, an unknown figure without a prior political trajectory in the state. He had by his side an equally unknown Edward Onoja as his chief of staff. They were both objects of envy and admiration. And together, they governed the state to the best of their abilities and experience. In the process, they also displayed how absolute power corrupts absolutely, and their moral senses diminished without their knowledge.
The story of Yahaya and Edward is a bestseller. At some point, it was the talk of the town. Things went smoothly, and they completed their first term in office. I recall that during campaigns for reelection, there was a slight change in the configuration. Edward had moved a step higher to be the running mate to Yahaya. The political hierarchy in the state had changed. Some thought it was impossible. But with Yahaya and Edward, nothing was impossible. It is on record that the election was one of the most controversial elections in the annals of the state. They won. But not without consequences to their friendship. The crack appeared on the swearing-in day when Yahaya tinkered with the protocol and took the oath of office first before his deputy. This was not the first time. In 2016, he was sworn in without a deputy. And could not understand why his deputy should take the oath of office before him in 2020. And that was the beginning of what we have witnessed in recent times with Edward’s public statements about what transpired in their eight-year stint in office.
When trust is deflated
A lot of water has passed under the bridge. But it was managed surreptitiously by both parties. Even though there were rumours in the public domain of a crack in their relationship, both men maintained decorum in public. The rumour mill was filled with tales of what is and what is not. But neither of them denied or confirmed until recently, when Edward came out to state how Yahaya betrayed friendship. I found Edward’s claims weighty. He said he was invited by Yahaya to be his running mate and was also promised the ticket to continue afterwards as governor. He believed. But Yahaya reneged on his promises. What I found curious in Edward’s statement was that Yahaya felt he had too much capacity and that his kinsmen in Kogi East didn’t like him because he supported a non-Igala to become governor. I think there was more to the sudden change of mind by Yahaya. Nothing happens in a vacuum. It is either that Edward also betrayed trust at some point when he was chief of staff, and Yahaya waited for the opportunity to have his pound of flesh, or Yahaya buckled to pressure from his kinsmen from Kogi central to allow an Ebira man to succeed him. Either way, it’s all politics.
Is Edward a Machiavellian?
I will state my observations on Edward’s statement about having too much capacity. My interpretation is that maybe Yahaya could not trust Edward enough to protect him after his tenure as governor. Ahmed Ododo, the present governor and Yahaya’s kinsman, did a good job during his hide-and-seek with the EFCC. This was what he wanted. I doubt Edward would have provided the kind of support Ododo provided for Yahaya throughout his travails. I stand to be corrected. Edward doesn’t appear to me like someone who enjoys sharing the stage with anyone. He also has a Machiavellian posturing. Maybe that was what Yahaya meant when he said that Edward has too much capacity.
Secondly, on whether the Igala people of Kogi East disliked Edward for supporting a non-Igala to become governor is a very interesting one. Edward said that was Yahaya’s perception because his people love him. It is also his (Edward’s) perception that his people love him. It is perception vs reality. But it is common sense that when you take milk from the mouth of a baby, the baby will cry. Did the Igala’s feel betrayed by Edward’s action? My take is yes. Edward must act quickly to realize that there was an ethnic betrayal by his actions against his kinsmen and seek forgiveness. It is not out of place. Your people cannot love you for working against their collective political interest. And also, under Edward’s watch as chief of staff, his kinsman, Simon Achoba, was impeached as deputy governor. The first in the annals of the state. What role did he play to avert it? And who succeeded Simon Achoba? Even if Edward had no hand in Simon Achoba’s impeachment, the fact that he was the beneficiary of the impeachment sent a negative signal to his kinsmen. And that gave rise to various conspiracy theories on the role of Edward in the saga. It is like when a witch cried at night and the baby died in the morning. Who killed the baby?
Don’t take a promissory note to the bank.
There is also a possibility that Yahaya must have picked one or two about Edward that Edward was not aware of, which made him have a change of mind. It could even be when Yahaya had a running battle with Simon Achoba that eventually led to his impeachment. Perhaps Edward didn’t show enough capacity to stand with his kinsman through trying times, let alone a friend from a traditionally opposing ethnicity in the state that fate had brought together for political expediency. It was obvious Yahaya could not trust Edward enough. Edward didn’t see the handwriting on the wall, and he went to the bank with a promissory note expecting to make a cash withdrawal. I like his recent tell-it-all episodes. It would have been better in his memoir. My recommended title would be “A regime of distrust and intrigues from a vantage position”. Bello has not told his own tale of what transpired. I can bet that it will come soon and may be a banger, especially when Edward has insinuated that the “Lion might not be white, but off-white”. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.
