The Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), accusing the founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Oke Afa, Lagos, Primate Elijah Ayodele, of alleged blackmail and an attempt to extort over N150 million from him under the guise of offering “spiritual intercession” ahead of the 2027 Oyo State governorship race.
Adelabu, a former governorship candidate who has declared interest in contesting the Oyo governorship election in 2027, alleged that the cleric resorted to malicious prophecies and character assassination after he refused to meet the alleged demands.
The allegation is contained in a petition dated October 13, 2025, and signed by his Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, Mr. Bolaji Tunji. In the letter, Adelabu accused Primate Ayodele of persistently pressuring him to provide huge sums of money and costly spiritual items as a condition for securing divine favour and electoral success.
According to the petition, “Under this guise, he had on several occasions demanded huge sums of money and expensive spiritual items, cumulatively amounting to over N150 million, as purported prerequisites for divine favour.”
Tunji noted that the minister consistently declined the requests, insisting that his political ambition is anchored on genuine service to the people of Oyo State and not spiritual manipulation or fetish practices.
The petition further alleged that following Adelabu’s refusal, Primate Ayodele embarked on what it described as a campaign of malicious and false prophecies aimed at discrediting the minister publicly. The letter claimed that the cleric had openly declared through various media platforms that “God told him Adelabu will not win the election,” while also making statements allegedly designed to incite the public, including linking Adelabu’s ambition to the controversial ‘Èmi Lòkan’ slogan, meaning “It’s my turn.”
The minister, according to the petition, initially chose to ignore the cleric’s actions to avoid a public confrontation with a religious leader. However, Tunji stated that the continued propagation of what he described as retaliatory and malicious prophecies now poses a threat to Adelabu’s reputation, public peace, and confidence in the democratic process in Oyo State.
“I write to formally draw the attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) to the extortive, deceitful, and inciting activities of one self-acclaimed pastor known as Primate Elijah Ayodele of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church,” the letter read. “His actions have become not only personally distressing to the Honourable Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, but also capable of disturbing public peace and undermining the integrity of the political process in Oyo State.”
The petition traced the alleged approaches back to Adelabu’s time as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stating that the cleric persistently offered unsolicited spiritual assistance to guarantee electoral success.
Tunji urged the DSS to investigate Primate Ayodele for alleged extortion, blackmail, and the deliberate dissemination of false and inciting information. He also called on the security agency to compel the cleric to retract the alleged false prophecies, issue a formal apology, and subject him to the law in line with relevant provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and Criminal Code.
He disclosed that Adelabu possesses documentary evidence, including recordings and message exchanges, allegedly showing repeated demands for money and items under the guise of spiritual assistance, which he said would be made available to the DSS for investigation.
“I trust that the DSS, as a key institution for national security and public integrity, will handle this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves,” the petition added.
Reacting to the allegations, Primate Ayodele denied attempting to extort N150 million from the minister, describing the claims as false and misleading.
In a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric said he never demanded money for prayers but only discussed the cost of musical instruments after Adelabu allegedly inquired about them.
Ayodele explained that he merely advised the minister to send someone to the market to verify the cost of the instruments, alongside a representative from his church, insisting that no monetary demand was made.
“I didn’t ask Bayo Adelabu to bring money for prayers,” Ayodele said. “I told him to ask someone from his end to go to the market and find out how much the said trumpet cost, while someone follows them from my end too.”
He claimed that Adelabu and his aides were desperate about securing the governorship ticket and had pressured him for spiritual guidance. According to the cleric, he only advised Adelabu to “seek the mercy of God” by purchasing musical instruments, which he said were not necessarily meant for his church.
Ayodele maintained that he had long spoken publicly about the challenges facing Adelabu’s governorship ambition and insisted that his prophecies were not influenced by any disagreement over the instruments.
“I have been talking about how he won’t be made governor of Oyo State for years; this is why he called me to seek solutions,” he said. “I don’t make prophecies to make money. I am blessed already, and my subsequent prophecies are not because he failed to buy the musical instrument. It can never be.”
