In his early career, Faleke worked in senior managerial positions with several high profile companies.
In 2015, he ran on a joint ticket as deputy governorship candidate to Abubakar Audu in his home state of Kogi.
[2] They won majority votes cast in the keenly contested election displacing People’s Democratic Party, PDP for the first time in more than a decade with comfortable winning margin.
In 1986, he finished from Kaduna Polytechnic with a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Purchasing and Supply Management with an award of the best student of his class with Upper Credit.
He holds master's degree (MBA) in Business Administration with management as the major focus from Imo State university, Owerri in 2003.
Between 1986 and 2003, Faleke worked in several management positions in logistics- procurement, clearing and forwarding, warehousing, distribution and construction.
Faleke political career started in 2003 with his appointment as pioneer Executive Secretary of Ojudu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State.
Audu and Faleke campaigned for votes across the 21 local government areas of the state with populist agenda and promise to improve living standard of the people.
[6] According to results declared by the Returning Officer, Emmanuel Kucha (Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi), Abubakar Audu/James Abiodum Faleke of the All Progressives Congress scored 240,867 while Idris Wada who was the incumbent governor running for a second term on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP garnered 199,514 votes.
[10] The second runner up, the People’s Democratic Party and its candidate, Idris Wada, who was the incumbent governor, scored 5,363 in the supplementary election.
I am not ready to betray and disappoint Prince Abubakar Audu.” In keeping to this vow, Faleke did not present himself for inauguration as deputy to Yahaya Bello.