The Deputy Director General of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Dino Melaye, has warned that the get together will defend itself towards what he described as rising assaults, intimidation and harassment of opposition members forward of the 2027 normal elections.
Melaye, who spoke in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday , stated the ADC would now not stay silent within the face of alleged assaults on its members, insisting that the get together would resist makes an attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to intimidate the opposition.
He declared, “All die na die. We will defend ourselves. The ADC will not sit, keep quiet and allow APC to continue intimidating us.”
Melaye alleged that opposition members and candidates had suffered assaults in a number of states, together with Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina and Kogi, claiming that properties had been destroyed and other people injured.
He additionally alleged that an ADC supporter was crushed and killed in Edo State, whereas describing the incidents as a part of what he referred to as a deliberate marketing campaign of intimidation towards opposition events.
He stated, “Despite the fact that there have been attacks on the opposition, and it’s not only ADC, they’ve killed some of our members in some places. Just a few days ago, our governorship candidate in Sokoto was attacked. Our governorship candidate in Kaduna was attacked. Our governorship candidate in Katsina was attacked. In Kogi State, they destroyed properties. They injured people.”
The former lawmaker, nevertheless, insisted that the ADC remained a non-violent get together however maintained that its members had a constitutional proper to defend themselves towards assaults.
He stated, “ADC is a non-violent party. But defending yourself, Charles, is a constitutional right. It is a God-given right. It is an inalienable right that I should defend myself.”
Melaye additional alleged that the get together had acquired intelligence suggesting that the APC deliberate to forestall its plane from taking off from the airport forward of its political engagements in Sokoto on Wednesday.
He stated, “As I’m speaking with 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. But we are laughing because we are waiting to see how they want to do it.”
On the credibility of the 2027 normal elections, Melaye accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of violating provisions of the Electoral Act, warning that the fee’s alleged infractions raised questions on its preparedness to conduct credible elections.
He particularly accused INEC of failing to publish the voters’ register throughout the statutory 90-day interval, insisting that the fee had contravened the regulation.
He stated, “INEC has contravened the provisions of the Electoral Act. And when you have an organisation that is a lawbreaker, an institution that has broken the very law it is supposed to implement, that institution has integrity questions.”
Melaye added, “INEC is given 90 days to publish all the voters’ lists. Ninety days is over. INEC has not done that. The law gives 90 days. I’m a lawyer. Ninety days is 90 days, irrespective of situations and circumstances.”
He stated the matter can be examined in court docket however declined to reveal whether or not the ADC had commenced authorized proceedings.
The ADC chieftain additionally questioned the integrity of INEC’s voters’ register, citing an alleged improve within the variety of registered voters at a polling unit in Osun State from about 400 to greater than 4,000.
He claimed that an examination of pictures within the register revealed repeated photos, together with one {photograph} allegedly showing 9 instances towards totally different identification numbers.
According to him, “We have one particular photograph that was repeated nine times, but with different identification numbers. At the end of the day, the team failed integrity tests. That is, there’s AI imputation by 89 per cent.”
Melaye additionally criticised INEC over the creation of 453 extra polling items, alleging that the method was performed with out satisfactory public session or the involvement of related stakeholders.
He contrasted the train with the 2023 polling unit creation course of, which he stated concerned authorities representatives, conventional rulers, the Nigerian Labour Congress and farmers’ associations, alongside 5 public hearings.
He questioned why new polling items had been being created when some current ones had not been adequately populated, alleging that the event pointed to what he described as anticipatory rigging forward of the 2027 elections.
On authorities spending and legislative oversight, Melaye accused the National Assembly of failing to carry the manager accountable over the rising allocations to the service-wide vote within the 2024, 2025 and 2026 budgets.
He cited roughly N26 trillion allotted to the service-wide vote over the three years, arguing that the funds had been topic to presidential discretion and required better transparency.
He stated, “In 2022, Buhari raised it to its highest in history, which was N2-point-something trillion. Surprisingly, in 2024, this prodigal government raised it to N4-point-something trillion.”
He added, “In 2025, the Tinubu administration raised a service-wide vote to N9-point-something trillion from N4-point-something trillion. In 2026, they raised it from N9-point-something trillion to N12-point-something trillion. In three years, N26-point-something trillion allocated for service-wide votes.”
Melaye argued that the particular nature of the service-wide vote created alternatives for misuse and abuse as a result of, in contrast to common budgetary allocations, its expenditure was topic to presidential approval.
He stated, “It’s not one of those budget lines that you must observe financial protocols. You must go through due process. It must go through any of the MDAs and some level of financial guidelines. But the service-wide vote is different. It’s actually spent at the discretion and comfort of the President.”
He additionally accused the National Assembly of failing to query the rising allocations, regardless of its constitutional accountability to scrutinise authorities expenditure and train oversight over the manager.
Melaye described the legislature as having develop into an extension of the Presidency, alleging that its management’s dependence on presidential affect had weakened its independence.
He stated, “Unfortunately, the National Assembly has become a parastatal of the Villa. It has become a department of the Presidency. There is no check, there is no balance.”
Comparing the present legislature with the Eighth National Assembly, by which he served, Melaye stated the emergence of its management by way of the votes of lawmakers gave it better independence.
He cited the rejection of ministerial and ambassadorial nominees throughout that interval as examples of efficient legislative oversight.
He additionally criticised the National Assembly’s dealing with of the modification to the Police Act, alleging that the method was rushed to accommodate the extension of the Inspector-General of Police’s tenure.
According to him, the modification handed by way of its legislative phases with out satisfactory time for public scrutiny or a public listening to.
Melaye maintained that an ADC-led authorities would make sure the independence of the legislature and strengthen its oversight duties by way of related committees, together with these on institution, finance, funds and planning.
He additionally addressed his earlier 14-day ultimatum to lawmakers, threatening an Occupy National Assembly protest in the event that they failed to reply to his calls for.
He stated the countdown started after lawmakers resumed from their recess and that he was nonetheless monitoring developments, however expressed disappointment over what he described because the legislature’s speedy approval of presidency loans.
Melaye maintained that the National Assembly should distinguish between political cooperation with the President and its constitutional accountability to carry the manager accountable.
Boluwatife Enome
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