The lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, James Faleke, has appealed to Governor Yahaya Bello to allow Kogi West to produce his successor ahead of the November 22 governorship election. Faleke, who chairs the House Committee on Finance and serves as Secretary for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, issued the appeal in a statement from Abuja on Sunday. He argued that zoning the ticket to Kogi West would give the people a sense of belonging and promote equity.
The race to replace Bello gained momentum in January when his Chief of Staff, Abdulkareem Asuku; Auditor General, Ahmed Ododo; and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Salami Ozigi‑Deedat each paid N50 million to secure their nomination and expression of interest forms at the APC national secretariat in Abuja. Other aspirants include Faleke, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC Murtala Ajaka, and Senator Smart Adeyemi of Kogi West.
Faleke’s latest move has prompted political pundits to wonder whether Bello will be willing to sacrifice his deputy governor, Edward Onoja, who has openly expressed his intention to become the next leader from Kogi West in the name of equity. Faleke believes that zoning the ticket to Kogi West is the only way to erase the memory of other regions occupying the governorship since the state’s creation in 1991. He says the agitation for a Kogi West governor is gradually uniting aggrieved APC supporters and that the ruling party cannot afford to be in opposition ahead of the November poll.
The APC chieftain noted that several Nigerian states rotate governorship positions among senatorial districts without bitterness, distrust, or disunity. “For equity, justice and fairness, it is reasonable to join the call that our great party, the All Progressives Congress, should ensure the governorship candidate emerges democratically from Kogi West. In a heterogeneous state such as Kogi, giving all parts a sense of belonging is key to peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic groups,” he said.
He recalled that for more than 16 years, the Eastern Senatorial District dominated Lugard House through Late Prince Abubakar Audu, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris and Captain Idris Wada. By the end of Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello’s tenure, Kogi Central would have held the governorship for eight uninterrupted years. While not discounting anyone’s right to contest, Faleke stressed that the time has come for justice and fairness. The pre‑2015 clamor for power shifts by Kogi West and Kogi Central aimed to correct the marginalisation of those districts. His position is rooted in the ideals of equity and fairness championed by the late Abubakar Audu, whose 2015 APC victory in Kogi West pledged a power shift to other parts of the state.
Faleke concluded that the priority should be a collective quest for a united Kogi State that enjoys socio‑political and economic prosperity. Achieving a secure, prosperous state where diverse demography coexists peacefully depends on fairness, equity and justice. The “16:8:0” imbalance must be corrected, and the upcoming election is the right moment. “As a party, we must enter the November 2023 elections with a common purpose, free from insensitive and unbridled ambition. I appeal to my brother, His Excellency Yahaya Bello, to recall the circumstances of his ascension and act wisely as the state party leader, ensuring we seize this rare opportunity to be on the positive side of history. Just as the progressive governors of our party made history before the APC national convention, those names will remain written in gold.”
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