African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Dino Melaye has advised President Bola Tinubu and his family to prepare to vacate the Presidential Villa, predicting an impending defeat for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Monday, the former senator and lawyer asserted that widespread public dissatisfaction over economic hardship, widespread hunger, insecurity, and unaddressed killings would drive voters to demand a change of government at the polls.
“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.
The vocal opposition politician, who previously served as a spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s 2023 presidential campaign before resigning from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in July 2025 to join the ADC, argued that the current administration has become entirely detached from the citizenry. He accused the government of instilling fear and displaying apathy toward public sentiment.
“But under Tinubu administration, people are afraid of government because they are so brazen, they are so wicked, they are so nonchalant, they don’t give a damn,” he said.
Melaye also launched a stinging critique of the government’s fiscal management, alleging unfulfilled budget commitments despite continuous international and domestic borrowing. He pointed out that contractual obligations from 2024 were still being rolled over into 2026 without proper funding or execution.
“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,” he said. “The budget has not been funded. Contracts awarded in 2024 have not been paid for. You are still implementing the 2024 budget in 2026.”
“The winning strategy for the ADC is very simple. The people are with us. The people are tired of maladministration,” Melaye added.
Further condemning public remarks by President Tinubu that allegedly implied electoral malpractice, violence, and ballot snatching were permissible tactics in political contests, Melaye warned that such rhetoric sets a dangerous precedent for the nation’s youth. He maintained that the electorate remains observant and will deliver a decisive verdict at the ballot box.
“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.
“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.