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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The Kogi State Government has dismissed reports alleging that the Presidency directed Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to honour a purported one-term agreement with Hon. James Abiodun Faleke, describing the claims as unfounded political speculation.
According to earlier reports, a closed-door meeting was allegedly held on January 15 to notify the camp of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Faleke’s intention to return to home politics and take control of the All Progressives Congress (APC) structure in Kogi State. The development was also said to have triggered speculations that Governor Ododo was considering alternative political platforms to pursue his ambitions.
However, reacting to the claims in an interview with Pointblanknews.com, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, firmly rejected the narrative, branding it “beer parlour talk” and a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
“The governor is approaching his second anniversary in office, and what he has consistently made clear is that he will continue to serve with honour, humility and dedication,” Fanwo said. “He will not be distracted by political rumours. He is a committed party man, someone the party has immense confidence in.”
Fanwo stressed that Governor Ododo’s standing within the APC remains solid, citing his involvement in key party assignments at the national level.
“You can see the kind of assignments given to him at the national party level, and he has delivered successfully,” he said. “The party has said repeatedly that governors are the leaders of the party in their respective states. If you even approach the party on this issue, they will be embarrassed because there is absolutely nothing to it.”
He accused unnamed individuals of fabricating stories to attract media attention.
“Some people will just sit down, concoct stories and throw them out there, hoping the media will feast on it,” Fanwo added. “We don’t want to dignify political rumours with responses.”
The commissioner also dismissed suggestions of any rift between Governor Ododo and Hon. Faleke, insisting that their relationship remains cordial.
“There is no conflict at all absolutely nothing,” he said. “The governor has a high level of respect for Honourable James Faleke. What you are seeing is the handiwork of people sitting in corners of their rooms, claiming meetings were held. Which meeting? Who attended? What was discussed?”
Fanwo questioned the credibility of the reports, noting that no key party officials were identified as participants in the alleged meeting.
“There is a national chairman of the party did he meet with anyone? Was the governor present?” he asked. “As Commissioner for Information, I am aware of the governor’s activities. People just sit down, concoct lies, throw them out, and once people respond, they throw out another one.”
He concluded by urging the media and the public to ignore what he described as deliberate misinformation aimed at creating the impression of a crisis where none exists.
“Are we going to build something out of nothing?” Fanwo queried. “There is absolutely no crisis in Kogi APC.”