MY DEFECTION RUMOUR, THE STORY SO FAR. – Stanley Ajileye
My great political leaders,
Fellow compatriots,
In the last few days, the political grapevine has been more productive than a well watered cassava farm. Speculations have been rife about my political realignment, following reports published by two frontline online media platforms, thegazzellenews.com in Lagos and kogireport.com in Lokoja.
Since then, my phone has refused to rest. Friends, associates, comrades, and even people who usually greet me once a year during festive periods have been calling to ask one question, “Is it true?”
My response has been simple and consistent, yes, it is true, and if anything, the report came slightly behind schedule. I have indeed bid farewell to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
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But this story did not start yesterday. It did not start with defection rumours, nor did it start with APC. It started in 2011, with a burden, the kind that keeps a man awake at night.
In the last few weeks, I have embarked on wide consultations on what I consider best not just for myself, but for the Okun people, whose interest compelled me to embrace political activism in Kogi State in the first place.
My story is much like that of Nehemiah, burdened by the sight of the broken walls of Jerusalem. Only that in our case, the walls are not made of stones but of exclusion, voicelessness, and political marginalisation.
Ironically, at the time this burden was consuming me, life was comfortable.
I was in Lagos, serving as a Senior Manager in the Public Relations team of British Airways. Good job. Good environment. Good prospects. The kind of life that makes people ask, “Why disturb yourself?”
Yet, anytime I thought about the political fate of my people, my heart bled. Unfortunately, my line of duty forbade political commentary. So I did what any stubborn idealist would do, I resigned.
One day, my immediate boss, Simon Tumba, returned from holiday in the United States to meet my resignation letter on his table. I gave a six months notice. I told him I wanted a quiet, private life. Well, so much for “quiet.”
In 2011, I returned to Kogi State and floated Kogi Agenda Magazine, now defunct but never defeated, with the bold tagline, “Towards a New Socio Political Order.”
The central message was simple, even if it sounded radical to some ears, power must rotate in Kogi State after every eight years.
That singular idea was enough to turn the political weather stormy. After all, when a poor man pushes an ideology that unsettles the establishment, he should not expect roses.
Advert patronage was low, very low.
I remember vividly when a Senior Special Assistant on Media told me, with refreshing honesty, “You can never get government adverts. No one empowers his enemy.”
I thanked him for the civic education.
Still, the publication survived. We pressed on. We advocated. We mobilised. We insisted.
Our agitation dovetailed into the struggle for power shift. I was among those who helped arrange an alternative platform for Alhaji Yahaya Bello and Engr. George Olumoroti, so that power could shift. Both men declined.
Then came Audu and Faleke.
At that point, we collapsed our structure into their campaign. The rest, as they say, is history, painful history, but history nonetheless.
After eight years of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, logic, equity, and political morality demanded a natural rotation of power to Kogi West. Unfortunately, history was forgotten, and some people suddenly developed selective amnesia.
Faced with that reality, some of us made choices not based on party loyalty, but on equity. I supported Senator Dino Melaye, whom I considered the most popular Kogi West candidate at the time. We were told we lost. So be it.
Another election cycle now stares us in the face, and this time, Kogi West knows what is at stake.
Let me be clear, if Kogi West is serious about getting the governorship, Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke is the option on the table. If Kogi West must get it right, it is now or never. And if Faleke throws his hat into the ring, the political arithmetic suddenly begins to favour Kogi West.
For me, this represents the clearest opportunity yet to translate a struggle I have invested in since 2011, with time, energy, resources, and reputation, into reality.
And that opportunity is attainable only on the platform of APC.
This explains my realignment.
My decision to join the All Progressives Congress, APC, is not driven by personal ambition, I am not contesting any election. It is driven by strategy, reality, and commitment to equity.
Let me say it plainly, my joining APC is not a rumour. It is a reality.
Political struggles evolve. Platforms change. But principles must remain constant. My principle since 2011 has been power rotation and fairness for Kogi West, and that principle has not shifted one inch.
I therefore call on conscientious sons and daughters of Kogi State, across the three senatorial districts, who believe in equity, justice, and posterity, to join me on this journey.
This is not about me.
It is not about party logos.
It is about doing right by history, so that tomorrow, when our children ask where we stood, we can answer without shame.
The struggle continues.
The platform has changed.
The purpose remains the same.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, JANUARY 26TH 2026)
