Former Kogi State Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja, has expressed optimism that former governor Yahaya Bello and suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, can put aside their differences and reconcile.
Speaking on the Mic On podcast on Saturday, Onoja recalled that Bello and Natasha once enjoyed a cordial relationship, insisting that peace remained the best option.
“I will advise them to reconcile, that is what brothers and sisters do,” Onoja said.
“Once upon a time, Natasha was at our party, APC, invited in by Yahaya Bello, and they dined together; they have been friends. I just believe that peace is better than war.”
Onoja also dismissed speculations that Bello orchestrated Natasha’s current ordeal in the Senate, where she is facing suspension.
Asked directly about the rumours, he responded: “Was said, I didn’t say that, I didn’t know that, and I don’t want to believe that.”
He maintained that there was no concrete evidence to tie Bello to the Senate saga, urging the public not to jump to conclusions.
The former deputy governor recounted an incident at the Kogi Government House in Lokoja, where Bello personally instructed him to greet Natasha during her time in the APC.
“She was in our party and she attended one occasion in Glass House – Kogi State Government House. His Excellency made me stand up from my seat to go and greet her, and I did. Once you are directed by your principal, you just do it,” Onoja recalled.
Naijaonpoint reports that Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who won the Kogi Central Senate seat in 2023 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has been one of Bello’s fiercest critics since leaving the APC.
Her recent suspension from the Senate has stirred political debates, with some alleging interference by political heavyweights in Kogi.
But Onoja insists the matter can still be resolved amicably.
“Peace will always serve the people better than political battles. It is in the interest of Kogi people that both of them find a way to work together again,” he said.
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