By Paul Joseph
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has issued a stark warning to Nigeria’s opposition parties, declaring that only a united front can successfully challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele cautioned that disunity within the opposition would ultimately guarantee Tinubu’s return for a second term, stressing that the President already has strong strategies in place to secure victory.
“I have warned the opposition that Tinubu is ready for them. They will use spiritual means to scatter them so they won’t be united,” Ayodele said.
“They will send all sorts of juju after them. If Obi leaves ADC, he will fail. Only united opposition can remove
Tinubu; otherwise, they will all fail because they have not seen anything yet, it’s just the beginning,” he added.
The cleric also weighed in on reported plans by Peter Obi to leave the African Democratic Congress (ADC), warning that such a move could derail his political ambition.
According to Ayodele, those advising Obi to exit the party risk ending his political career, noting that it could mirror the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.
He further argued that although Obi’s political movement appears strong, it lacks the staying power required to secure the presidency.
“While Peter Obi’s movement seems to be strong, it is not enough to take him into the Villa because it will get weaker by the day,” he stated.
Ayodele also dismissed the idea of Obi as Nigeria’s political saviour, insisting that leadership solutions must go beyond any single individual.
“They just want to finish Obi’s career by dividing him politically. Every political marriage of Obi will always end in divorce.
His movement may move, but not into the Villa,” he said.
“The noise of the movement will only be weaker because it has been attacked spiritually. Obi isn’t the messiah for Nigeria or his people.
Someone who can do it better is there. Obi is desperate and stubborn like Tinubu,” he added.
In a broader criticism of the opposition, the cleric accused political actors of lacking vision and being driven by personal ambition rather than national interest.
“Our opposition politicians don’t have sense and vision. They have been blindfolded because they are all greedy,” he said.
Ayodele’s comments come amid ongoing political realignments and coalition talks among opposition figures ahead of 2027.
Analysts say the ability or failure of opposition parties to unite could play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the next presidential election.
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