***Dismiss speculation linking lawmaker to Kogi 2027 race

**Say national assignment is APC’s victory in 2027 presidential poll

Friends and political associates of the member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, have dismissed growing speculation linking him with the next Kogi State governorship election, urging him instead to remain focused on supporting President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

In a statement signed by Otunba Olukayode Biobaku on behalf of the group, the associates said recent political activities surrounding Faleke’s name, including awards, endorsements and courtesy visits, appeared to be part of a coordinated effort to draw him into Kogi politics.

They, however, advised the lawmaker to resist what they described as “carefully orchestrated political manoeuvres” capable of distracting him from his current national responsibilities.

The group stressed that its position should not be interpreted as questioning Faleke’s Kogi roots, noting that he remains “a proud son of Kogi State” whose ancestry and emotional attachment to the state are unquestionable.

Recalling his role as the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in the 2015 governorship election, the group noted that following Audu’s death and the political developments that ensued, Faleke returned to Lagos, where he has continued to enjoy the confidence of constituents in Ikeja Federal Constituency.

According to the statement, Faleke has since emerged as one of the APC’s most influential lawmakers and occupies a strategic position within the National Assembly and the party’s national structure.

The associates also dismissed a recent report by an online publication alleging that the Presidency had directed former Governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to honour a purported one-term agreement involving Faleke.

They noted that the lawmaker had publicly denied any knowledge of such an arrangement, insisting he neither participated in nor discussed any agreement relating to Kogi’s governorship succession.

The group argued that the rebuttal should have ended the speculation but alleged that some political actors had continued to promote narratives portraying Faleke as a contender in the next governorship race.

They maintained that the immediate political priority for all APC leaders should be the successful re-election of President Tinubu and the consolidation of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The statement further described Faleke as one of the party’s most respected leaders and a trusted ally of the President whose experience in fiscal oversight, public finance and legislative governance remains valuable to the National Assembly at a time of major economic reforms.

While acknowledging that Faleke is constitutionally qualified to contest any elective office, the group said now was not the time for premature governorship calculations.

“Our intervention is informed solely by our conviction that every season has its own assignment and every political moment its own priorities,” the statement said.

It urged political actors to stop linking Faleke’s name to the Kogi governorship race through speculation or political engineering, insisting that leadership also requires knowing “which distractions are best ignored.”