Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye, has issued a strong warning to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The former senator declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) will defend itself against alleged attacks and intimidation of opposition members.
Melaye, who is the Deputy Director-General of the ADC Presidential Campaign Council, said the party would no longer remain silent if its members continued to face attacks, insisting that any attempt to undermine the opposition during the forthcoming elections would be resisted.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Monday night, the former lawmaker accused the APC of orchestrating attacks against opposition politicians and supporters in different parts of the country.
He alleged that some ADC members had been killed, while several others had suffered intimidation, harassment and physical attacks.
According to him, the party’s governorship candidates in Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina states had recently been attacked.
He also alleged that properties were destroyed and people injured in Kogi State, adding that the opposition had continued to face threats across the country.
Melaye referred to an incident in Edo State, where he claimed an ADC supporter was beaten to death.
He described the alleged attacks as acts of desperation by the ruling APC, warning that the party should not expect the ADC to remain passive.
“But I want to announce to them that this time around, all die na die,” he declared.
Explaining what he meant by the expression, Melaye said the ADC would defend itself rather than allow the alleged attacks to continue without resistance.
“What does that mean? It means we will defend ourselves. The ADC will not sit back, keep quiet and allow the APC to continue with these attacks,” he said.
The former senator also cited the Osun State governorship election, claiming that more than 50 people died during the election-related violence, with about 30 deaths recorded in Ilesa alone.
He warned President Bola Tinubu and the APC against assuming that the opposition would resort to legal action if it believed the 2027 elections were manipulated.
“But we are announcing to Tinubu and the APC that this time around, we will defend ourselves. Let them not think we are going to court. We will not go to court. We will settle this matter on the streets,” Melaye stated.
However, Arise Television presenter Charles Aniagolu immediately cautioned against any suggestion of violence, making it clear that the station did not support violent conduct.
“Let me make it clear that here on Arise News, we do not support any form of violence,” Aniagolu said.
Responding, Melaye insisted that the ADC was a non-violent political party but maintained that its members had the right to defend themselves against attacks.
“ADC is a non-violent party. ADC is a non-violent party,” he said.
He further argued that self-defence was a constitutional and fundamental right, insisting that the party would not allow its members to be attacked without responding.
“Defending yourself, Charles, is a constitutional right. It is a God-given right. It is an inalienable right to defend myself,” he added.
Melaye also accused the APC of being responsible for acts of violence against opposition figures, including the presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress, Peter Obi, during an incident in Benue State.
“If you are sitting here now and somebody is coming to stab you, you will defend yourself,” he said.
The former senator also raised concerns over the movement of the party’s campaign team to Sokoto State, alleging that the APC was planning to prevent its aircraft from taking off from the airport on Wednesday.
“As I’m speaking to you, we have received intelligence this evening that APC is going to stop our planes from flying on our way to Sokoto on Wednesday. That it will not allow our planes to take off at the airport,” he alleged.
Melaye, however, expressed confidence that the alleged plan would not succeed, saying the party was waiting to see how such an action would be carried out.
“This country belongs to all of us. We are not aliens. We are Nigerians, and Nigeria is for Nigerians,” he said.
“We will prove that the government is not owned by those in government. Government is owned by the people, and the people are with us.”
He further declared that the ADC would demonstrate the power of citizens during the 2027 elections.
“This time around, we will prove that the people are more than those in government, and that the office of the Citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is greater than the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he added.
Melaye’s latest comments come two days after he accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of engaging in what he described as anticipatory rigging ahead of the coning general elections.
In a post on his X handle on Sunday, the former senator warned that the commission’s activities could undermine the credibility of the forthcoming polls.
“The activities of INEC in recent times point at anticipatory rigging, which will be resisted,” he wrote.
He also called for reforms within the electoral commission, warning against any attempt to manipulate the election.
“INEC must be born again this time because we will not allow rigging. Rig and say your final prayer,” Melaye added.
His comments came amid controversies surrounding suspected artificial intelligence-generated photographs discovered in INEC’s preliminary voters’ register and complaints by some political parties over the omission of candidates from the commission’s final list.
