Focus on Tinubu’s Re-election, friends urges Rt. Hon. Faleke, warns against political praise singers.
A group under the aegis of Friends of Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, OON, has urged the member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives to resist attempts to draw him into the politics of the 2027 Kogi State governorship election.
The group said the current wave of political activities surrounding Faleke, including awards, ethnic recognitions and courtesy visits, appeared to be carefully orchestrated efforts aimed at portraying him as an active participant in the state’s future governorship race.
In a statement signed by Otunba Olukayode Biobaku, PhD, on behalf of the group, the friends maintained that while Faleke remains a proud son of Kogi State with unquestionable roots and constitutional rights to seek any elective office, the present political climate requires him to concentrate on national assignments rather than state politics.
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Statement in full
Recent political developments have made it imperative for us, as friends of Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, OON, to publicly state our position on the emerging political dynamics surrounding his name and the politics of Kogi State.
Friendship, we honestly believe, imposes an obligation beyond applause. It demands the courage to offer honest counsel when silence would amount to complicity.
It is against this background that we have watched, with measured concern, a series of carefully orchestrated political activities apparently designed to draw our friend and brother into the vortex of Kogi State politics.
These have manifested in the form of awards, ethnic recognitions, choreographed courtesy visits and other political engagements whose underlying objectives are becoming increasingly manifest.
Ordinarily, such developments are neither surprising nor abnormal. Politics , by its very nature, is a season of symbolism, strategic alignments and calculated courtship.
However, we consider it necessary to make one point abundantly clear. Our intervention should not, under any circumstance, be misconstrued as a denial of Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke’s ancestry or indigeneship of Kogi State. He is, and will always remain, a proud son of Kogi State.
His roots, identity and emotional attachment to his homeland are beyond dispute. Indeed, when he accepted to serve as the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the historic 2015 governorship election, we watched the unfolding events with cautious optimism.
We appreciated both the enormous possibilities and the delicate political realities that surrounded that defining moment in Kogi’s history. Fate, however, charted a different course.
Following the unfortunate demise of Prince Audu and the constitutional developments that followed, Rt. Hon. Faleke returned to his political base in Lagos.The people of Ikeja Federal Constituency, who had consistently demonstrated confidence in his leadership, welcomed him back with overwhelming support.
Since then, they have continued to renew that mandate, reaffirming their belief in his competence, integrity and capacity for service. Today, he occupies an even more strategic position within the All Progressives Congress, the National Assembly and the national political architecture than at any other time in his public life.
For a man who had already attained enviable heights in his professional career before venturingint o public service, it is only prudent that long-term political considerations should prevail over short-term political temptations.
His distinguished career, spanning senior management positions at Aluminium Manufacturing Company, Crown Agents Limited and other reputable manufacturing and logistics organisations, represents decades of painstaking investment, discipline and credibility.
Those accomplishments, reinforced by an outstanding legislative career that has earned him national respect and influence, constitute a legacy that should neither be diminished nor subjected to avoidable political distractions.
There comes a point in public life when a leader’s greatest responsibility is no longer to seek another office, but to preserve the stature, credibility and strategic influence painstakingly built over decades. We believe Rt. Hon. Faleke has reached that defining moment. Politics, however, is never static.
Circumstances evolve, realities change and priorities shift. Change is life’s most constant variable. Political wisdom lies not merely in recognising opportunities but in discerning the difference between opportunity and distraction. It is against this backdrop that we view with concern the persistent efforts by certain self serving political actors, with abnormal entitlement mentality, to manufacture narratives capable of portraying Rt. Hon. Faleke as an active participant in the politics of the next Kogi State governorship election.
Only recently, an online publication, TrackNews, falsely alleged that the Presidency had directed former Governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to honour a purported one-term agreement in Kogi State in which Rt. Hon. Faleke was allegedly involved.That publication was entirely false.
Rt. Hon. Faleke promptly and unequivocally dismissed the report, stating that he had never participated in, discussed or had knowledge of any purported one-term agreement or political arrangement of that nature. He made it clear that he was neither directly nor indirectly involved in any such understanding and urged members of the public to disregard the publication in itsentirety.
Ordinarily, that categorical rebuttal should have ended every speculation. Unfortunately, rather than allowing the matter to rest, those determined to conscript him into Kogi politics have merely adopted different strategies, using public endorsements, orchestrated recognitions and carefully choreographed political engagements to achieve the same objective. As friends, we believe we will be failing in our duty as true friends if we remain silent in the face of these developments.
Accordingly, we state as follows:
1. The Kogi State governorship election remains an off-cycle election. There is no immediate electoral contest that justifies the current frenzy of political speculation surrounding Rt. Hon. Faleke.
2. The overriding political assignment before every loyal member of the All Progressives Congress today is the successful re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a well deserved second term in office. Every available political asset should be deployed towards consolidating the gains of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
3. We urge Rt. Hon. Faleke not to allow himself to be distracted by carefully orchestrated political manoeuvres promoted by individuals whose motivations are driven more by personal ambition, self interest and entitlement mentality, than by collective party interest.
4. Having continuously enjoyed the confidence of the good people of Ikeja Federal Constituency since 2011, following his successful tenure as Executive Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area, our expectation is that he should remain focused on strengthening the APC nationally and supporting the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Nothing should be of greater attention.
5. As one of the APC’s most respected leaders, a trusted ally of the President and a valued member of his inner political circle, any unnecessary distraction at this critical period would amount to a disservice not only to the party but also to the nation.
6. Rt. Hon. Faleke has distinguished himself as one of the foremost authorities on fiscal oversight, public finance and legislative governance in the House of Representatives. At a time when President Tinubu is implementing far-reaching economic reforms, Nigeria stands to benefit immeasurably from his legislative experience, policy insight and institutional memory as one of the longest serving members of the House of Representatives.
The requirement for cognate experience is not for fun.
7. We acknowledge and commend his longstanding tradition of extending kindness, support and goodwill across ethnic, religious and political divides. His generosity of spirit should neither be exploited nor deliberately misrepresented as evidence of political intentions that he has neither declared nor contemplated.
8. We call on political actors to desist from manufacturing narratives or creating artificial political momentum around Rt. Hon. Faleke’s name. Responsible politics must be anchored on truth, sincerity and respect for individual choices, not speculation, propaganda or political engineering. Our intervention is not inspired by fear, nor is it intended to foreclose future possibilities.
We recognise Rt. Hon. Faleke’s unquestionable credentials, his deep roots in Kogi State and his constitutional right, like every Nigerian, to aspire to any office for which he is qualified. Our intervention is informed solely by our conviction that every season has its own assignment and every political moment its own priorities. At this defining moment in our national life, the larger interest demands unwavering commitment to the success of President Bola AhmedTinubu’s administration and the consolidation of the reforms already underway.
The future will take care of itself when it arrives. For now, service to the nation must take precedence over the lure of premature political calculations. We have absolute confidence that Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke possesses the wisdom, discipline and political maturity to remain focused on this higher national responsibility.
History is kind to those who recognise that leadership is not merely about accepting every invitation to power, but about discerning which battles are worth fighting and which distractions are best ignored. Power pursued at the wrong time can diminish power already attained. Statesmanship lies in knowing the difference.
Signed
Otunba Olukayode Biobaku, PhD.Friends of Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, OON
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 2ND AUGUST, 2026)
