“ADC Will Produce a Candidate That Will Unseat Tinubu in 2027” – Dino Melaye

Former Kogi lawmaker Dino Melaye has declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will present a presidential candidate capable of defeating President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general elections. Speaking on *Politics Today* on Channels Television, Melaye emphasized the need for a stable and credible platform, asserting that the ADC is committed to delivering such a candidate.

“Those of us in the ADC need to create a comfortable, stable platform,” Melaye said. “And I believe that platform will produce a candidate that will unseat President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in 2027.”

He clarified that while he would not endorse any specific aspirant at this stage, his focus remains on helping the party organise a transparent and unifying national convention.

Describing the ADC as a “national altar call,” Melaye urged Nigerians to reconsider the party’s place in the political landscape. He said those joining the ADC are motivated not by personal gain, but by conscience and a collective desire for national renewal.

“Why Nigerians should think differently about the ADC is that once there’s an altar call in the church of God—only those who are emotionally affected, have conscience, and are ready to leave darkness and move into light respond. So, ADC is a national altar call,” he said.

Melaye added that ADC members are driven by the urgent need to act, stating, “We want to see a Nigeria where we’ll be able to answer questions from our grandchildren who will ask us, when we’re 90 and toothless: ‘When Nigeria was being destroyed, Grandpa, what did you do?’ We want to be able to say we did A, B, C, and D.”

His comments come in the wake of a high-level opposition coalition meeting held on July 2 at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, where prominent political figures endorsed the ADC as a platform to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). During the meeting, party founder Ralph Nwosu presented ADC membership cards to former Senate President David Mark and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who were unveiled as interim national chairman and secretary of the coalition.

The gathering was attended by several political heavyweights, including Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Ireti Kingibe, Dele Momodu, Emeka Ihedioha, and Melaye himself, signaling what many observers believe could be the early formation of a formidable opposition front for 2027.