By Musa Bakare.
There are moments in the life of a people when history knocks loudly and refuses to be ignored. Such moments do not negotiate; they demand clarity, courage, and conviction. Kogi State has arrived at one such historic crossroads.
The question before the people of Kogi State today is no longer merely who is available, but who is prepared, tested, and truly destined. In this defining hour, one name rises unmistakably above the fog of political scheming: Rt. Hon. (Dr.) James Abiodun Faleke.
Politics, like destiny, follows patterns. Those who understand history know that power does not answer to noise; it responds to structure, sacrifice, and seasoning. Faleke is no political accident. He is a thoroughbred leader, forged in the furnace of governance, tempered by loyalty, and refined by experience – a figure unmistakably shaped in the mold of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s President and grand strategist of progressive politics.
Today, Kogi State groans under the weight of unfulfilled promises, recycled excuses, and elite manipulation. The people are tired of experiments. They are weary of leadership that mistakes survival for vision. What Kogi needs is not a messiah of slogans, but a system builder, a leader who understands how power works and how governance delivers. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke fits this historic bill.
From local government administration to state executive responsibility, and now as a top-ranking federal legislator, Faleke has climbed every rung of the governance ladder. He understands grassroots pain because he has governed at the grassroots. He comprehends state complexity because he has managed it. He grasps national power dynamics because he operates daily at the federal level. This is not ambition speaking; this is preparation announcing itself.
History does not hand leadership to the loudest voice, but to the most ready vessel. Just as Asiwaju Tinubu waited, built, endured, and ultimately rose not by accident but by design, so too has Hon. Faleke been positioned by time, experience, and destiny. Kogi cannot afford another season of political gambling when competence is staring us in the face.
Abiodun Faleke’s humanism sets him apart in a political environment too often polluted by arrogance and detachment. He is accessible, grounded, and deeply connected to the people. His politics is driven not by bitterness or entitlement, but by responsibility and restraint. He understands that power without compassion is tyranny, and authority without justice is a curse.
Let it be said plainly: Kogi State does not need a placeholder; it needs a pathfinder. It does not need another chapter of improvisation; it needs a coherent doctrine of governance. Faleke represents continuity with competence, loyalty with courage, and experience with empathy. He carries the progressive DNA that transformed Lagos and now drives Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Those who fear James Abiodun Faleke fear one thing only: a prepared mind backed by popular will. Political schemers thrive in confusion, but history thrives on order. And order demands leadership that understands structure, discipline, and consequence.
This is not merely about an individual; it is about rescuing Kogi from cyclical misdirection. The future will not forgive silence when destiny speaks. The signs are clear. The season is ripe. The people are ready.
When history writes the story of Kogi’s rebirth, it will remember those who stood on the side of justice, competence, and courage. And it will remember that when the moment came, Rt. Hon James Abiodun Faleke did not run from responsibility and Kogi did not run from history.
– Musa Asiru Bakare, a foundational member of APC and political analyst, writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.
