‘You can only manage old age’: Dino Melaye fires back at Buba Galadima
By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has challenged elder statesman Buba Galadima for linking him to comments about the health of Federal High Court judge, Justice Peter Lifu, insisting that he never discussed the judge’s medical condition.
Melaye, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), expressed shock over Galadima’s remarks, accusing him of wrongly attributing comments to him amid the controversy surrounding the judge’s reported illness.
In a post on his X account on Saturday, Melaye said: “I was extremely shocked to hear that Alhaji Buba Galadima mentioned that I made comments on Justice Lifu’s health. It is most unfortunate because I never made any comment on Justice Lifu’s.”
He, however, took a swipe at the NDC chieftain, suggesting that age was affecting his recollection of events.
“Old age must be catching up with Buba Galadima. Now I know you can’t cure old age, you can only manage it,” Melaye added.
The exchange followed comments by Galadima during an interview on African Independent Television (AIT) on Wednesday, in which he criticised ADC members over their reported reaction to the illness of Justice Lifu.
Galadima had questioned why opposition politicians would appear pleased by reports that the judge, who delivered a ruling against the ADC leadership, was ill and might travel abroad for medical treatment.
He argued that the judge’s possible absence could complicate the party’s efforts to appeal the judgment, claiming that the records of proceedings required for an appeal could not be signed by another judge while Lifu was away.
“I just found out that maybe there aren’t intelligent people in the ADC,” Galadima said, adding that members of the party had failed to consider the possible consequences of the judge’s absence.
He also referred to information that Melaye had announced the ADC had obtained a certified true copy of the judgment, before discussing the reported illness and the party’s reaction to it.
The controversy is connected to the November 5 judgment delivered by Justice Lifu in the leadership dispute involving the ADC, Senator David Mark and former Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola.
The Federal High Court set aside resolutions of the party’s 99th National Executive Committee meeting held on July 29, 2025, through which Mark and Aregbesola emerged as national officers.
The court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognising or dealing with the affected individuals as national officers of the party.
The ADC has indicated its intention to challenge the ruling.
Galadima, a chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), maintained that the reported illness and possible absence of the judge could create difficulties for the opposition party’s appeal.