Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has warned President Bola Tinubu to address growing public grievances ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general election.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele said Nigerians could use the election to express their anger and dissatisfaction with the government if their concerns were not addressed.
The cleric also warned that the 2027 contest could become difficult for Tinubu if his administration failed to “pacify” Nigerians ahead of the election.
According to Ayodele, some people close to the president were giving him the impression that everything was going well, while allegedly pursuing their own interests.
He further claimed that politicians who failed to secure tickets within the ruling party could eventually work against Tinubu’s bid for another term.
“Most of the people who dropped from the party will work against Tinubu’s victory, and he can lose the election if he isn’t careful,” Ayodele said.
The cleric also identified former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures as potential forces capable of challenging Tinubu in 2027.
He said a coalition involving Atiku and other opposition politicians could defeat the president regardless of the political support around him.
Ayodele further cautioned against relying on electoral manipulation to secure victory, saying Nigerians would resist any attempt to win the election through means other than votes.
He predicted that the 2027 election would be highly contested and urged the president and the APC to respond to Nigerians’ concerns.
“The party needs to pacify Nigerians; otherwise, all the magic will not work,” he said.His comments come as political parties and opposition figures begin positioning themselves ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, which is expected to be a major contest for control of Africa’s most populous country.
