A group identifying itself as friends of Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke has publicly urged the Ikeja Federal Constituency lawmaker to steer clear of growing speculation linking him to the 2027 Kogi State governorship race, insisting his priority should remain the re-election of President Bola Ahmedu Tinubu.
In a statement signed by Otunba Olukayode Biobaku, the group said it had observed with “measured concern” a string of political activities — including awards, ethnic honours and choreographed courtesy visits — that appeared designed to draw Faleke back into Kogi State politics.
The group was careful to distinguish its intervention from any denial of Faleke’s roots in the state, stressing that he remains “a proud son of Kogi State” whose identity and ancestry are not in question. It recalled his emergence as running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the 2015 governorship election, a bid cut short by Audu’s death shortly before the results were declared. Faleke subsequently returned to Lagos politics, where he has represented Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives since 2011, following an earlier tenure as Executive Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area.
The statement pushed back specifically against a recent report by online outlet TrackNews, which claimed the Presidency had directed former Governor Yahaya Bello and incumbent Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to honour an alleged one-term arrangement in Kogi State involving Faleke. The group noted that Faleke had already dismissed the report as false, saying he had no knowledge of or involvement in any such agreement.
Despite that denial, the friends’ group said, those seeking to draw Faleke into the governorship contest have simply shifted tactics — leaning on public endorsements and orchestrated recognitions to keep the speculation alive.
The statement laid out several points, including that the Kogi governorship election is off-cycle and does not warrant the current level of political activity around Faleke’s name, and that party members should instead be channelling their energy into securing Tinubu’s second term. It described Faleke as a trusted ally of the President and an authority on fiscal oversight and public finance whose legislative experience is needed in the National Assembly at a time of major economic reform.
The group also cautioned against what it called attempts by “self-serving political actors” driven by personal ambition to manufacture narratives around Faleke, and called on political actors generally to avoid manufacturing narratives or artificial momentum around his name.
While affirming Faleke’s constitutional right to aspire to any office, the group maintained that the present political moment demands a different set of priorities. “Power pursued at the wrong time can diminish power already attained,” the statement said, adding that “statesmanship lies in knowing the difference.”
