Former Kogi State governor Yahaya Bello has been filmed instructing newly elected and returning members of the Kogi State House of Assembly to give Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo unqualified support on all legislation that reaches the chamber. In the 29-second video, recorded during a meeting at Bello’s Abuja residence, several lawmakers, including Dekina-Okura II representative-elect Hassan Shado, were told to sit on the floor while Bello emphasised they should “support Governor Ododo in everything that comes to the Assembly, even if you don’t understand it.” Shado won the 16 August by-election with 55,073 votes against 1,038 for the opposition PDP candidate, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission. Bello, who handed power to Ododo in January 2024, framed the directive as a call for party unity, saying electoral victories are a collective effort and predicting the All Progressives Congress would retain power in future contests. The video has drawn attention to Bello’s continuing influence over state politics less than two years after leaving office and while he faces a pending Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigation into alleged diversion of N110 billion during his eight-year tenure.