By joshua KOGI WEST APC CRISIS: OKUN PROFESSIONALS CAUTION ‘SELF-ACCLAIMED STAKEHOLDERS’ OVER ATTACKS ON RT. HON. FALEKE
The Okun Professionals and Progressives Forum has warned some self-acclaimed leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Kogi West to desist from attacking Rt. Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance.
The group, in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, said it was alarmed by a recent press conference in Lokoja where certain individuals kicked against the nomination of Senator Sunday Steve Karimi as the APC senatorial candidate for 2027 and criticized Rt. Hon. Faleke for supporting him.
The statement was signed by the Coordinator, Hon. Kazeem Abdulrauf, Deputy Coordinator, Hon. Olushola Olugbami, and Secretary, Hon. Tunde Akanmidu.
The Forum described the threats by Barr. Alfred Bello calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to “call Faleke to order or risk losing Kogi West in 2027” as false and disrespectful.
“We take strong exception to the contents of that press conference addressed by Hon. Umar Ahmed Imam. It is wrong to drag the integrity of Rt. Hon. James Faleke, a ranking and respected member of the House of Representatives, into the mud,” the group stated.
According to the Forum, Faleke has consistently impacted Okun land and Kogi State through personal initiatives including road construction, installation of solar street lights, and building of palaces for traditional rulers. They added that his empowerment efforts, in partnership with Senator Karimi, are strengthening the APC in the zone.
The group accused the organizers of the Lokoja press conference and a protest at the APC National Secretariat on July 7, 2026, of being sponsored to derail the party in Kogi State.
“Rt. Hon. Faleke remains a worthy son of Okun nation who has paid his dues. We will not tolerate further attempts to defame him,” the statement read.
The Okun Professionals also threw their weight behind Senator Karimi’s candidacy, describing him as “the candidate of the APC” and “the most formidable candidate that can guarantee the party maximum votes in Kogi West.”
They cited his contributions including building and furnishing an Army Forward Operation Base in Egbe to curb insecurity, and transforming the education sector through classrooms, laboratories and Computer Based Test centers across the district.
The Forum urged aggrieved members to sheathe their swords and work with the party leadership, stressing that the call for rotation of the governorship to Kogi West by Senator Karimi should not be a basis for division within the APC.
“We advise those fanning the embers of crisis in Okunland to stop. The mandate of Senator Karimi represents the voice of the people and assures APC of overwhelming votes in 2027,” the group concluded.