Primate Ayodele Breaks Silence on 2027 Prophecy, Denies Predicting Tinubu’s Defeat, Accuses Critics of Twisting Message
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has dismissed widespread reports claiming he predicted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would lose his 2027 re-election bid, insisting that his prophetic message was deliberately distorted.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric accused political actors and some media organisations of intentionally twisting and misrepresenting his prophecies to serve personal and political interests.
According to Primate Ayodele, the prophecy in question was delivered during a live church service on Sunday and remains available on video. He clarified that he never declared Tinubu would lose the 2027 presidential election.
Instead, he said his exact statement was: “If Tinubu loses the election, it will be painful for him.” However, he lamented that the conditional statement was falsely reported as a definite prediction that Tinubu would be defeated in 2027.
“I have read several reports claiming that I said President Tinubu will lose his re-election bid in 2027. I want to state categorically that I never made such a statement,” he said.
“It has become a pattern for some political actors and media platforms to twist and misrepresent my prophecies for their own gains. During the live service, I clearly said that if Tinubu loses the election, it would be painful for him. The full video is available, yet my words were deliberately distorted.”
Primate Ayodele further stated that the time had not yet come for him to reveal who would emerge victorious in the 2027 presidential election, assuring that such a prophecy would be made when appropriate.
He warned political actors against manipulating his statements for political advantage and described the false reports as irresponsible and unprofessional.
The cleric also urged media organisations to uphold journalistic ethics by seeking clarification from his media office whenever there is uncertainty, rather than publishing misleading reports.
“When the time is right, I will reveal who will win the presidential election. Until then, no one should attribute statements to me that I never made. It is irresponsible and unprofessional,” he said.
He added that the media should remain committed to accuracy and professionalism, stressing that his media office is always available to verify any of his public statements before publication.
The video at the centre of the controversy, according to his media team, was recorded during the Sunday live service and has been widely circulated online.