By Sabiu Abdullahi
Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has claimed that “34 and a half” state governors are supporting President Bola Tinubu’s bid for another term in office.
Galadima made the claim at the inauguration of the NDC’s national reconciliation committee, where he discussed the political alignments ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to him, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has kept his distance from both Tinubu’s political camp and the opposition coalition.
He, however, described Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed as being undecided over which side to support.
Galadima said Mohammed had attended a meeting with NDC stakeholders but later reconsidered his position after receiving advice against joining a political party that has a strong presidential candidate.
“There are thirty-four and a half governors. The one who is not with him, visibly shown, is Seyi Makinde. The half is Bala Mohammed,” Galadima said.
He explained why he classified the Bauchi governor as “half” among the governors he said were not firmly aligned with Tinubu.
“Mohammed is half, because Bala Mohammed met with us after the wee hours of the night, 3:00 a.m. We parted; we were both at the NDC together. Just for him in the morning to call that he has rescinded his decision, that he was advised not to go into any party with a strong presidential candidate,” Galadima said.
The NDC chieftain said Mohammed’s current political position remained uncertain, as he could still choose to work with either the opposition coalition or the ruling party.
“So, it means Bala Mohammed is on the fence. He may work with us; he may work with them. That’s why he’s half, as far as I’m concerned.
Galadima also contrasted the resources available to political parties in power with those available to opposition groups when negotiating with politicians.
“So if you are in power, you have the authority to say, look, we are only fielding this man; all of you step down. Or they can compensate you. We have nothing to compensate anybody, except we reason, except patriotism, that we need to salvage this country.”
The comments come as political parties and opposition groups intensify consultations ahead of the 2027 elections, with the question of possible alliances among governors expected to remain a major issue.
