The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has given a fresh warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his 2027 re-election bid, his relationship with Vice President Kashim Shettima, and alleged plots by the United States to undermine his government.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric cautioned Tinubu against replacing Shettima as running mate, insisting such a move would weaken his chances.
He said, “Dropping Shettima will cause trouble for you; those who want him out are your enemies who don’t want you to succeed. Anything that Shettima might have done, forget it, and let’s move the country forward.”
“If you remove Shettima, it’s a minus for you; don’t remove him if you still want to maintain your chances. There are things you need to settle between yourself and Shettima, settle with him and let him remain; if not, it will be a serious minus to your government,”Ayodele added.
While describing Shettima as “harmless” to Tinubu, Ayodele predicted fresh political resistance in the North.
“The Emirs will gang up against you,” he warned, urging the president to “do extra work” because the “election won’t come by easily.”
The cleric further claimed America would actively oppose Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
“Also, make sure you sort out the issue of international communities, like I said, America isn’t your friend. America is desperate to remove you; they will do everything to see you out of power.”
He also pointed out that hunger, insecurity, and poor governance, not personnel changes , remain Tinubu’s greatest threats.
“Shettima isn’t your problem, but hunger in the country and other factors. If you don’t fix them, removing anybody from your government or adding anyone will not do you any good. You should also work on security, you can win terrorists, they are within Nigeria.”
Ayodele concluded by noting that while no strong contender has emerged yet, with the current situation in the country, Tinubu could face a serious challenge in 2027 if urgent issues are not addressed.
