2027: ‘Buba Galadima, I have been fighting for 50 years’ – Pat Utomi

A former presidential candidate, Pat Utomi, has disclosed that he has been engaged in a political fight with a chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, Buba Galadima for the past 50 years but they are still friends.

Utomi made the disclosure in Abuja after NDC inaugurated the reconciliation panel to settle grievances and litigation from its congresses, convention and primaries ahead of 2027 elections.

The political economist assured that the party would reunite its aggrieved members before the general elections.

He said: “I feel humble and challenged by this assignment. I’m extremely privileged to be in the company I’m in.

“Buba Galadima and I have been fighting for 50 years, and we are still very good friends. So it means that we can equally make other people become friends.

“It’s a privilege to be able to work with such people, which shows that it is possible for us to truly get this thing done for everybody to see the future.”

He insisted that the NDC is a political party for the future with its aim of engaging the youths.

“One of the things we have agreed on is that the NDC is a party of the future focused on the young people of this country. The median age of our country is 19.5 years,” he said.

The crisis in the NDC involves congresses, post-primary election disputes, among others.

To address the internal dissent ahead of the 2027 general elections, the party inaugurated the 23-member National Reconciliation Committee in Abuja on August 6, 2026.

The aim of the 23-member National Reconciliation Committee in Abuja is to unify the party.

The committee is chaired by Utomi with Galadima serving as co-chairman and they are tasked with mediating disputes and integrating aggrieved members before campaign deadlines.