ABUJA, Nigeria – Former Nigerian senator Dino Melaye called on Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and members of his family on August 24, 2026, to begin packing their belongings from the Presidential Villa ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Okay News reports that Melaye, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, stated during an interview on Arise TV that the party will defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 polls.
Melaye stated that citizens were prepared for a change of government due to ongoing governance issues. “The winning strategy for the ADC is very simple. The people are with us. The people are tired of maladministration,” Melaye said. “They are tired of lies. They are tired of borrowing. They are tired of three budgets in three successions not being implemented.”
He alleged that government borrowing had not resulted in budget execution or contract payments. “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,” Melaye 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.”
He described a divide between citizens and the government regarding economic and security conditions. “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,” Melaye said. He added, “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 criticized the President’s public comments on political contests. “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,” Melaye said. He added, “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.”
Melaye resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party in July 2025 to join the African Democratic Congress, having previously served as spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 presidential election. He has since initiated legal actions for the party and publicly engaged with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
