Pat Utomi, a former presidential candidate and political economist, has revealed a five-decade political rivalry with Buba Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, that has endured alongside a personal friendship. Utomi made the disclosure in Abuja following the inauguration of the NDC’s National Reconciliation Committee, a 23-member panel tasked with resolving internal disputes arising from congresses, conventions, and primary Elections.
Utomi, who chairs the committee with Galadima serving as co-chairman, expressed confidence in the panel’s ability to heal divisions before the next general election cycle. “Buba Galadima and I have been fighting for 50 years, and we are still very good friends,” Utomi said. “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.”
The reconciliation effort comes as the NDC grapples with factional tensions that have complicated its organizational cohesion. Party leadership has framed the committee’s mandate as essential to unifying aggrieved members and positioning the NDC as a viable national platform. Utomi emphasized the party’s demographic focus, noting that Nigeria’s median age of 19.5 years underscores the urgency of engaging younger voters. “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,” he said.
The committee’s formation reflects a broader pattern in Nigerian politics where veteran operators navigate personal histories while managing institutional fractures. Utomi and Galadima, both prominent figures in opposition politics for decades, embody a generation of activists who have alternated between collaboration and confrontation across multiple electoral cycles. Their appointment signals an attempt to leverage that history rather than ignore it.
Observers note that the success of the reconciliation panel will depend on its ability to translate personal rapport into structural solutions for disputes that have legal and constitutional dimensions. The NDC’s capacity to present a united front will likely influence its competitiveness in upcoming elections, particularly as newer parties vie for the same reform-minded electorate.
For now, the party has placed its bets on a leadership duo whose longevity in politics is matched only by the complexity of their relationship. Whether that dynamic produces lasting unity or merely manages existing tensions remains the central question facing the NDC as it prepares for the next electoral test.
