African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melaye, has declared that the party will defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, urging President Bola Tinubu and members of his family to prepare to vacate the Presidential Villa.
Melaye, a former Kogi State senator, made the declaration during an interview with Arise TV on Monday, saying the ADC’s prospects were strengthened by what he described as growing dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration over hunger, insecurity, killings and other challenges confronting Nigerians.
According to him, the party’s strategy for the 2027 election would be driven by voters whom he claimed were dissatisfied with the government and ready for a change. He said Nigerians would have the opportunity to demonstrate their position through the ballot.
“The winning strategy for the ADC is very simple. The people are with us. The people are tired of maladministration. They are tired of lies. They are tired of borrowing. They are tired of three budgets in three successions not being implemented,” Melaye said.
The former lawmaker also criticised the government’s handling of its budgets, alleging that despite borrowing money to finance government programmes, some projects and contracts had remained unpaid.
“For example, you say you borrowed money to run the budget. You have borrowed the money. You have collected the money. But the budget has not been run. The budget has not been funded. Contracts awarded in 2024 have not been paid for. You are still implementing the 2024 budget in 2026,” he alleged.
Melaye linked what he described as widespread hardship, insecurity, killings and corruption to an increasing disconnect between the government and the Nigerian people. He maintained that the situation would influence voters when they go to the polls in 2027.
“So, I am telling you that this enchantment, the hunger in the land, the insecurity in the land, the killings in the land, the stealing, overstealing that is going on in the land already have shown and demonstrated that there is a complete disconnect between the people and government,” he said.
The ADC chieftain also accused the Tinubu administration of creating an environment in which Nigerians were afraid of the government, rather than the government being concerned about citizens’ reactions to its policies and actions.
He further alleged that President Tinubu had made comments suggesting that election rigging, violence, and ballot snatching were acceptable practices in politics. Melaye said such remarks would be inappropriate for a president expected to serve as a role model to young Nigerians.
“You have a president that have come out on air to tell the whole world that all is fair in politics. Rigging is fair in politics. Violence is fair in politics. Ballot snatching is fair in politics,” he said.
Senator Melaye predicted that the 2027 election would result in a change of government and specifically urged Tinubu and his family to prepare to leave the Presidential Villa.
“And I’m telling you that the results will tell in January. The president and his family members should begin to pack their luggage and things from the villa, including those in the boys’ quarters of the villa, because there will be a change of government,” he said.
Melaye resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July 2025 and joined the ADC. He had previously served as spokesperson for the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and has since emerged as one of the ADC’s prominent figures, including pursuing legal challenges on behalf of the party and publicly engaging with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
