By: Goodluck E. Adubazi, Abuja.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has disclosed that he personally initiated the legal resistance against the 2023 naira redesign policy, insisting he moved to challenge the decision in court after warning that the controversial rollout would inflict hardship on Nigerians and undermine the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during a critical election period.

Speaking at an interactive session with young Nigerians at the Nest Resource Centre, APC Youth Wing Secretariat, on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, in Abuja, Bello narrated in detail how he led the early legal pushback during a Zoom meeting of APC governors.

According to Bello, when he could not convince federal officials to reconsider the policy,
“I was the one who moved that I was going to court,” he said. He added that after assembling his own legal team, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle joined the suit.

Bello said the meeting’s minutes and Zoom chat records showed he initiated the action:
“I typed everything deliberately so that I could be quoted tomorrow,” he noted.

He argued that the redesign, combined with fuel scarcity at the time, threatened the future of the ruling party – APC, and its flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the time.

“Do you want our party, the APC, to lose? Nigerians were already losing confidence. Even the opposition applauded the policy; that alone shows it was the wrong decision,” Bello said.
He insisted the rollout punished ordinary Nigerians by cutting off access to cash in a country where millions lacked digital banking tools.

Bello reaffirmed his loyalty to the APC, saying he had no intention of joining any other political platform.

“APC is my first active political party, and APC will be my last,” he declared.

Reflecting on his eight-year tenure, Bello told youth participants that his major decisions in Kogi State were intentionally designed to have national significance.

He described his appointment of his Chief of Staff as his first major internal political test and said he made the announcement immediately after his swearing-in to avoid pressure.
The former governor also defended his controversial civil service reforms, comparing the state he inherited to a “patient needing surgery.”

“It was painful, but necessary. Kogi’s civil service was bloated. We met nearly 80,000 workers. You cannot build development on a rotten foundation,” he said.

Bello revisited his widely criticized stance on COVID-19, saying he remains vindicated.

“Everybody knows I never believed in COVID-19. Kogi was never locked down, and we lost no lives,” he claimed.

Bello said selecting his successor, Governor Usman Ododo, was one of the toughest decisions he took, but he believes history has justified him.

“Today, people are praising me for the choice of Governor Ododo. A leader is not successful until he has a successor,” Bello said.

The former governor credited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former President Muhammadu Buhari for shaping his leadership style.

He praised Tinubu’s courage, citing the immediate removal of fuel subsidy as an example of bold decision-making that Nigeria needed.

“If President Tinubu had not been tough as governor of Lagos, Lagos would not be what it is today,” he said.

Bello added that Tinubu revived structures within the APC—such as the Youth Wing—that had become dormant.

Bello commended APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel for what he described as outstanding performance.

“I have never been disappointed. The party is proud of you,” he said, pledging his continued support.

He urged youths to embrace courage, discipline, and problem-solving rather than dependency.

“Tell yourself you can do it. Be bold, rugged, and upright. There is no halfway between right and wrong. That principle has helped me throughout life.”