Tinubu Will Struggle in Abuja, Nigeria’s Name May Change — Primate Ayodele

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has predicted that President Bola Tinubu would face challenges in the 2027 presidential election, claiming that he could only win the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through electoral rigging.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric claimed that support for Tinubu was declining in northern Nigeria and that voters in the region were preparing to vote against his re-election.

Ayodele said the North would play a decisive role in determining the country’s next president, arguing that candidates without the region’s support would struggle to secure victory.

He also claimed that the reported appointment of Abdulazeez Yari as Tinubu’s campaign director-general would not change northern voters’ attitudes towards the President.

The cleric warned that Tinubu could face difficulties in several northern states, including Adamawa, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto and Bauchi. He also described the political situation in Abuja as uncertain, alleging that the APC might resort to rigging to secure victory there.

Ayodele further claimed that political divisions could affect the ruling party’s prospects in Yobe, Gombe and Kebbi states.

He maintained that the situation could still change if the President took appropriate steps, but expressed doubt that Yari’s appointment would be enough to improve the party’s position.

The cleric also predicted that Nigeria’s name would eventually be changed, claiming that the country’s name had spiritual implications for governance and leadership.

According to him, the name was spiritually contaminated and could hinder governments from making the right decisions, even when their intentions were good.

Ayodele argued that a future change could occur when national leaders gained a different understanding of what he described as the spiritual implications of the country’s name.

The statements remain the cleric’s predictions and claims about the 2027 election and Nigeria’s future; they do not establish how voters will behave or determine the eventual election outcome.