Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has sparked widespread criticism after posting — and later deleting — a congratulatory letter to the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, written on official Kogi State Government letterhead despite no longer being in office.
The letter, which featured the Kogi State coat of arms and Bello’s signature as “Executive Governor,” quickly went viral on social media, drawing sharp reactions from citizens who accused the ex-governor of overstepping his bounds and refusing to relinquish the trappings of power.
In the message, Bello praised the new Army Chief but included a line that stirred further controversy: “It gives me renewed hope that my worthy successor, His Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, will now have you in his corner as he continues to tackle insecurity in his domain.”
Observers slammed the remark as inappropriate, arguing that it implied the Chief of Army Staff could align with a state governor, contrary to the military’s federal command structure.
The civic accountability platform @Kogi_Xcommunity first flagged the issue, posting screenshots of the letter and noting that Bello had quietly deleted it after the backlash. The group wrote: “Yahaya Adoza Bello, former Governor of Kogi State, has deleted his personally signed letter to the new Chief of Army Staff after facing backlash from netizens.”
The incident has reignited debate over the conduct of former public officials and their use of state symbols after leaving office.
