A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, and lawyer, Senator Dino Melaye, has expressed confidence that opposition parties will unite to challenge and defeat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

The seasoned politician made these remarks in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday, where he said ongoing discussions among opposition parties would eventually lead to a broad coalition capable of defeating Tinubu and the APC in 2027.

“I want to let you know that the opposition parties are talking and working. Even today, Peter Obi spoke here in Port Harcourt and said the talks are ongoing and he is part of it. I personally had an interaction with Donald Duke, who is also willing to have a discussion on the opposition coming together.

“By the grace of God, we will have a headway shortly. Discussions are ongoing, and the opposition will work together. We may not get 100% of everybody on board, but the majority of the opposition will come together and send Tinubu and the APC packing. You can take that from me: their days are numbered,” he maintained.

Speaking on the APC’s political machinery and nationwide network of governors, legislators and party structures, Senator Melaye dismissed the ruling party’s perceived advantage, arguing that Nigerians have already decided to vote out the APC. He attributed the sentiment to widespread hunger and insecurity, and alleged that some governors are reluctant to openly campaign for Tinubu, insisting that the president is facing defeat in 2027.

“All that will amount to nothing because the Nigerian people have already concluded who they will vote for. They have demonstrated their reservations about the APC-led government. The hunger in the land, the insecurity—we don’t even need to campaign. People are just waiting to go out there and vote out the APC.

“Let the president be the chairman of the campaign, the spokesperson, and the director of strategy; all will amount to nothing. The governors are not sincere with him. Can any governor in the North go and campaign and tell the people to vote for Tinubu?

“The president is getting intelligence reports and knows he is on his way out. All these are acts of desperation to scare those who might want to work with the opposition. But the time is up, and Tinubu is on his way out of the Villa,’ he stressed.

Speaking on the ADC’s preparedness for the 2027 election, Melaye said the party was relying on public support rather than government officials and political machinery. He claimed the party had mobilised voters nationwide and argued that the widespread dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration would translate into electoral defeat for the APC.

“While Tinubu is depending on his ministers and government functionaries, we are depending on the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have mobilized the people, and if the election were to take place tomorrow, by 3:00 PM, Tinubu would be out of the Villa.

“We know what the people are saying. We can feel the pulse, the disenchantment, the disillusionment, and the pain of the people across every nook and cranny of this country. The election is about the people, not the bureaucracy involved in managing the election. Let them raise hundreds of billions of dollars; at the end of the day, it will amount to a waste, and what happened in Osun will be repeated at the national level,” he added.

Addressing the opposition’s ability to challenge the APC’s early mobilisation, Melaye dismissed the ruling party’s campaign efforts as neither an advantage nor strategic, citing the outcome of the recent Osun election as an example. He argued that the same situation would be repeated in the 2027 general elections.

“There is no advantage, and there’s nothing strategic about it. The Senate President was in Osun, many governors were in Osun, and at the end of the day, all that amounted to a beautiful nonsense. That is what will be repeated in the general elections,” he stressed. (AriseNews TV)