Wife of Kogi State Deputy Gov recounts how she escaped assassination attempt, accidents in an emotional thanksgiving »

My Many Testimonies Of Jehovah’s Undeniable Deliverance From The Valley Of Death. A Thousand Tongues Can’t Praise You Enough.

Praise the Lord!

Good morning Children of God.

God has been so good to me, my husband and family in so many ways. I will be very ungrateful indeed not to testify to His wondrous deeds and glorify His Holy Name.

Tomorrow the 16th of November, 2020 will make it exactly one year that this awesome God not only gave us the victory that put my dear husband in office as the Deputy Governor of Kogi State and made us the number 2 citizens of our dear state, but on this same day last year, Jehovah literally came down and delivered me and my loved ones from the arrows of the wicked and preserved our lives.

If we recall, the 16th of November, 2019 was the day we held the governorship election in Kogi State and our boss, His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello was contesting for a second term in office with my husband, Chief Edward Onoja as his running mate.

Firstly, the Lord silenced a counsel of Ahitophel delivered through the mouth of a sitting Governor in the North then who told my husband in the presence of his boss that Igala people are not to be trusted and were so clannish that even I as the wife of his running mate will not vote for him because he is not Igala. Only the man knew what his aim was but it was a direct attempt to cause an irreparable rift between two great men who have loved and respected each other for many years, and referred to themselves, not just as brothers, but as siamese twins.

God shamed that man and the discord he sought to sow failed woefully and continues to fail. I thank my God again, for the victory he gave our Governor and his twin, my husband, at the polls in 2019 but more for the evident love and unity between them as they continue working together for the good of our state.

Secondly, on that election day, I was in my constituency to do my bit in supporting them and the events of that day makes me wonder if that man was speaking beyond the physical. This is because I almost did not get to vote for my husband and his boss. As you all know, I am today a daughter of Ogugu in Olamaboro LGA by marriage but Egume in Dekina LGA is my paternal and ancestral home. It is the hometown where my father came from and where he is buried. On election day I went to my polling unit to cast my vote like every other citizen. Everything went fine and after successfully casting my vote, I walked across the road to my vehicle alongside my elder brother and my aides.

As I entered the vehicle, heavy gunfire erupted. Initially, I was not that alarmed. Actually, I was surprised as the only thing that came to my mind immediately was that my police escort was shooting into the air and this was strange as we do not engage in that kind of showing off. With this thought, I turned back to see why they were doing this only to see 3 or 4 men, all in black, firing directly at my car and advancing from a distance.

I screamed at my driver to move the car and he took off straight for the highway towards Anyigba. All of us crouched, heads down, in the car as bullets flew all around. Since mine was the only bulletproof car in the convoy we used it to shield that of my brother and the security men, so it ended up taking the bullets.

Even at that terrifying moment something told me that having missed me, the gunmen would head to my family house and unleash death and destruction. It must be the Spirit of God. Even though I was seriously afraid with all the bullets flying around, I still managed to call the policemen attached to my family house and alerted them to the attack. They quickly spirited my mum and other siblings away from the house. They barely managed to escape with their lives, for as soon as they drove off the gunmen who came after me arrived the house but met no one. To the glory of God my family met us at the university gate in Anyigba that day and we headed for Lokoja together.

Almost as if the devil was hellbent on his assassination mission that, we ran into a trouble spot at Ganaja Village Road, with lots of shooting from the storey biuldings on both sides of the road. We survived that one too by quickly turning around and fleeing the way we had come. We had to park along the road at Jingbe for hours until the situation was brought under control and we could continue home.

It was a wonderful experience and it is simply because of the Lord’s mercies that we were not consumed that 16th of November, 2019. No doubt, the enemy came in like a flood against me and mine that fateful day, but the Spirit of the Lord raised up a standard for us against him. He lost and he will always lose.

Thirdly, I also want to testify to God’s deliverance from accidents during that electioneering period. Many times, people think that politics is only tasking on the men. Let me tell you that we women often bear a heavier burden, especially if we have to be on the road campaigning to support our men. Her Excellency, Hajia Rashidat Bello, the First Lady of Kogi State hosted at least 10 rallies for the Governor and we attended all of them. On two occasions prior to the election day, I was involved in two ghastly motor accidents while traveling on campaigns to Kabba and Ankpa. Both times, I came out unhurt. I return all the praise to God.

Fourthly, and finally, it has been a personal aspiration and prayer of mine that spaces for women in government will continue to expand in Kogi State. I am therefore overwhelmed and I return all the glory to the Almighty God who gave us a father and Governor who not only approves of affirmative action but has taken it beyond the usual 30%.

Today, all the Deputy Chairmanship tickets of all the 21 LGA has been given to women by the APC. On top of that, the Governor and his party stakeholders have also reserved the Council Leadership positions in all the 21 LGA for women. In other words, the legislatures of our Local Government Councils will be led by women. It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our sight. May the Lord bless Governor Yahaya Bello, Chief Edward Onoja his Deputy and all the leaders who took this momentous decision. And to the Lord Most High who is the giver of every good thing, be all the glory forever and ever.

In love and according to My Jehovah’s command. I today wholeheartedly forgive the leaders and persons who are my kinsmen that sat to plan that my blood flowing on the soils of my birth was their only joker to power to serve our people. I forgive you all and pray you change your ways. Power belongs to God and only he can give it to whoever he has chosen and predestined.

It is abundantly clear to me that I am alive today only because there is a God in heaven who will never share His glory with any man. That is why I have come to return all the glory to Him.

Praise the Lord!

Her Excellency, Mrs Ejura Mercy Onoja,
Wife of Kogi State Deputy Governor.