Alex Otti, 34 Other Governors Working for Tinubu — Buba Galadima

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Buba Galadima, has claimed that President Bola Tinubu enjoys the support of 34 and a half of Nigeria’s 36 state governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Galadima made the claim on Friday during the inauguration of the NDC Reconciliation Committee, where he also disclosed that Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, had declined to defect to the opposition party.

According to the NDC chieftain, the only governor he considers firmly outside President Tinubu’s political camp is Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde.

He also listed Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as being aligned with Tinubu, despite Otti’s membership of the Labour Party.

“President Tinubu has 34 and a half governors. The only governor that is not with him is Seyi Makinde of Oyo State. Alex Otti of Abia State is there. Forget about that,” Galadima said.

Explaining his reference to “half” a governor, Galadima identified Bala Mohammed as the governor in question, saying the Bauchi governor remained undecided about which political camp to support ahead of 2027.

He said the NDC had engaged Mohammed in discussions that lasted until 3am and that the governor was initially expected to defect before changing his mind.

“The half is Governor Bala Mohammed. We met with him until 3am, and he was supposed to defect the next day, but he called us in the morning saying he has changed his mind because he was advised not to move to a party with a strong presidential candidate.

“Bala Mohammed is on the fence. He may work with us, or he may work with President Tinubu,” he said.

Galadima’s comments come amid a major political realignment ahead of the 2027 elections, with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) expanding its control of state governments through a series of high-profile defections.

Several governors who previously belonged to opposition parties have moved into the APC camp, including Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa.

Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf also left the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) amid the ongoing political realignment.

The shift has significantly strengthened the APC’s position ahead of the 2027 presidential and governorship elections.

Beyond governors who have defected to the APC, some opposition governors have also publicly expressed support for Tinubu’s re-election bid.

Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), for instance, has repeatedly expressed support for Tinubu and described APGA and the APC as ideological allies.

Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has also openly backed Tinubu, referring to the President as “our own son, father and leader.”

Meanwhile, Bala Mohammed remains one of the governors outside the ruling APC.

The Bauchi governor left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in May 2026 for the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) after talks with the APC over a proposed power-sharing arrangement reportedly collapsed.

With the 2027 elections approaching, Galadima’s claim further highlights the growing political contest over the remaining opposition-controlled states and the efforts by rival political blocs to secure the backing of governors ahead of the polls.