Defections Won’t Save Tinubu in 2027, Says Dino Melaye

Former senator and African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Dino Melaye, has dismissed the wave of opposition governors joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying such defections will not strengthen the party or boost President Bola Tinubu’s chances.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Melaye said the “governor factor” had lost its political influence, arguing that recent elections proved Nigerians now vote independently of state structures.

He cited the 2023 presidential election, where Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) won 11 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, without a single governor, while Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 12 states, eight of which were governed by the APC.

“The 2023 polls shattered the illusion that power flows from state governors,” Melaye said. “Despite controlling 22 states, the APC struggled to maintain voter confidence and even lost traditional strongholds like Lagos to the Labour Party.”

He noted that worsening economic hardship, unemployment, and inflation under the APC-led government would make the 2027 elections a “moment of reckoning.”

“The governors can all defect to the APC if they wish,” he warned, “but Nigerians will ensure their collective defeat. The era of imposed loyalty is over.”

Melaye also criticised both the APC and PDP, describing them as “political powder kegs” plagued by corruption, internal crisis, and loss of public trust. He said the ADC represents a “moral and generational reset” capable of offering a genuine alternative to failed governance.

“The 2027 elections will not be about governors,” he declared. “It will be an election of the governed, a referendum between citizens and the establishment. The handwriting is on the wall: Nigerians have found their voice, and no power bloc can silence it again.”