The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Friday denied claims made by the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, regarding an alleged attempt to extort N150 million from him.
In a report by a media outlet, Adelabu had petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), alleging that Primate Ayodele asked him to purchase about 1,000 trumpets, costing up to N150 million. The minister further claimed that his refusal prompted the cleric to prophesy that he would not become governor of Oyo State.
However, in a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele rejected the allegations, stating that he never requested money from the minister. He explained that the only discussion involved the procurement of the trumpets, which he described as being for Adelabu’s spiritual benefit.
According to the cleric, the minister himself inquired about the cost, and he merely provided an estimate while asking Adelabu to send someone to the market to verify prices.
Ayodele added that both the minister and two others, including his personal assistant, were putting pressure on him due to Adelabu’s intense desire for the governorship.
“I didn’t ask Bayo Adelabu to bring money for prayers,” Ayodele said.
“I told him to send someone to the market to confirm the price of the trumpets while a person from my side also followed. His personal assistant, he himself, and the person he sent pressured me because of his desperation for governorship.”
He added, “He even said he was willing to give anything to become the next governor of Oyo State. The only thing I told him was to get the trumpets for his own good.”
Primate Ayodele also clarified that while he advised Adelabu to seek God’s mercy by acquiring the instruments, it was not tied to receiving the governorship ticket.
“I told him that they wouldn’t grant him the governorship ticket, but if he wanted it so badly, he should seek God’s mercy by buying the instruments for God—not even for my church. He refused, and that was the end of it,” he said.
He further stated that he had long spoken about Adelabu’s ambition, consistently asserting that it would take divine intervention for him to become governor.
“I have been talking about how he wouldn’t become governor for years; that’s why he contacted me. I never spoke to him before he sent people requesting my spiritual help.
“I do not make prophecies for money. My subsequent prophecies after our discussion are unrelated to whether he purchased the instruments; they are entirely separate,” he added.