A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dino Melaye, has declared that the party will defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections, urging President Bola Tinubu to begin to prepare to leave the Presidential Villa.
Melaye, a former senator, made the declaration during an interview with Arise TV on Monday, attributing his confidence in the ADC’s electoral prospects to what he described as growing dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration.
He alleged that Nigerians were increasingly unhappy over hunger, insecurity, killings and corruption, claiming that the situation had created a disconnect between the government and the people. He said the electorate would express its dissatisfaction through the ballot in 2027.
“The winning strategy for the ADC is very simple. The people are with us. The people are tired of maladministration,” Melaye said.
He added that Nigerians were “tired of lies” and borrowing, as well as with what he described as the non-implementation of successive budgets.
Melaye also alleged that the Federal Government had borrowed funds to finance its budgets but had failed to fully implement them, claiming that some contractors had yet to receive payment for projects awarded in 2024.
“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,” he said.
The ADC chieftain further alleged that contracts awarded in 2024 remained unpaid while the government was still implementing aspects of the 2024 budget in 2026.
Melaye said the level of hardship and insecurity in the country had contributed to what he described as a loss of confidence in the government.
“So, I am telling you that this disenchantment, the hunger in the land, the insecurity in the land, the killings in the land, the stealing, over stealing 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.
He also criticised the conduct of the Tinubu administration, alleging that Nigerians had become afraid of government rather than the government being concerned about the reactions of citizens.
Melaye further accused President Tinubu of making comments suggesting that practices such as election rigging, violence and ballot box snatching were acceptable in politics. He described such alleged comments as inappropriate for a President who should serve as a role model to young Nigerians.
“You have a president that has 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 box snatching is fair in politics,” he said.
Melaye subsequently predicted a change of government after the 2027 election, telling the President and his team to begin preparing to vacate the Presidential Villa.
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.
