Contrary to the speculation that Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello has prepared his chief of staff, Mr Edward Onoja to be his successor after his second term in office which has become a strong campaign message for pro Edward Onoja 2023 governorship project,Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kolawole Matthew has said that Kogi West Senatorial district will not settle for anything less than the governorship position come 2023, the statement that is not going down well with Bello chief of staff camp, THE OBSERVERS TIMES learnt
Kogi Report reported that the Speaker stated this on Sunday in Kabba, headquarter of the senatorial district while receiving decampees of ADC to the APC.

The Speaker said the eastern senatorial district has ruled the state for more than 20 years and should forget about the governorship after the second term of present governor Yahaya Bello.
Kolawole said the East should forget about any idea of contesting the governor in 2023, stressed that their is an unwritten arrangement for total power shift in the next term.
He however urged the people of the zone to vote massively for the APC governor in order to stand at a vantage position to bargain for power.
Collaborating his words, former House of Reps member and Deputy Director General, Kogi West APC governorship Campaign Organization, Haruna Isah said the senatorial district is tired of being deputy governor.
He said the zone will not settle for less as far as governorship position is concerned in 2023, said nobody from the zone will take a second fiddle again.
He said the people of Lokoja/Kogi federal constituency has already taken a stance for the November 16 guber election to vote 100 percent for governor Yahaya Bello in order to stand a better chance for the governorship slot in 2023.

He enjoyed his brothers from the Okun axis of the senatorial district to toe their line in order to have a stronger position when the bargaining chips are down.
He said if the district ensured total victory for governor Bello in the election, somebody from any of the two axis will become governor with the total support of the others.
He said the Eastern flank have also took resolution of voting Bello in order to contest for governor in 2023, stressing that the West too will not sit on the fence.
The Speakers position coupled with Isah proclamation was greeted with so much enthusiasm and jubilation by the crowd, as the people said they felt relieve of having a chance for the top spot.
Many who spoke at the event said the declaration from the Speaker for power shift to the zone as further  emboldened them to throw their support for the APC, while some said the Speaker himself will be the beneficiary of the governorship slot in 2023.
Credit: Kogi Report