A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Buba Galadima, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu enjoys the support of 34 governors ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Galadima made the disclosure during the inauguration of the NDC’s National Reconciliation Committee.
According to him, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde is the only governor who has openly distanced himself from Tinubu’s camp and the opposition coalition, while Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed remains undecided.
“There are 34 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 that Mohammed was being counted as “half” because of his recent engagement with the opposition coalition and his subsequent decision to reconsider his position.
“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 Just for him in the morning to call that he had rescinded his decision, that he was advised not to go into any party with a strong presidential candidate,” he said.
Galadima said Mohammed’s position had left him on the fence over whether to align with the ruling party or the opposition ahead of the 2027 election.
“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,” he added.
Galadima further noted that governors affiliated with the ruling party could be compelled to support Tinubu because of the influence and authority available to those in power.
He, however, said the opposition coalition had little to offer politicians in terms of compensation, stressing that its appeal was based on patriotism and the need to rescue the country.
“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,” Galadima said.
