The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Friday denied allegations levelled against him by the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, regarding an alleged attempt to extort him of N150 million.
In an exclusive report by a media organisation, Adelabu petitioned the Department of State Services, DSS, accusing Primate Ayodele of asking him to purchase about 1,000 trumpets, which would cost up to N150 million.
The minister claimed that his refusal to heed the request prompted the prophet to prophesy that he would not become governor of Oyo State.
However, in a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele denied ever attempting to extort the minister of the said amount, explaining that he never asked him to send money apart from procuring the trumpets, which he said were for the minister’s good.
The cleric explained that the minister himself asked for the cost, and he provided a figure while asking Adelabu to send someone from his end to the market to confirm the prices of the instruments.
Ayodele stated that aside from Adelabu, two other persons, including his personal assistant, were pressurising him because the minister was showing serious desperation for the governorship seat in Oyo State.
According to Ayodele: “I didn’t ask Bayo Adelabu to bring money for prayers, 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. His personal assistant, himself, and the person he sent to me put me under so much pressure because he was desperate for governorship.”
“He was the one who sent someone to me to talk to me on his behalf. He went as far as saying he was willing to give anything to become the next governor of Oyo State, and the only thing I told him is to get the trumpets for his own good.”
Speaking further on their discussion, Primate Ayodele explained that he told Adelabu that they would not be willing to give him the governorship ticket, but that he could seek the mercy of God by buying the musical instruments—not necessarily for his church—which he refused. Beyond that, there was no other discussion.
“I told him that they won’t want to give him the governorship ticket, but if he wants it so bad, he should seek the mercy of God by buying the musical instruments for God, not even for my church, but he said he can’t do it, that’s all,” he said.
Primate Ayodele stated that for years he had spoken about Bayo Adelabu’s ambition and consistently maintained that it would take the grace of God for him to become governor of Oyo State. Therefore, he argued, it could not have been because the minister refused to yield, as he had never spoken to him until Adelabu sent people to him.
He said: “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. I have never spoken to him before till he sent people to me and personally requested my spiritual help. I don’t make prophecies to make money, I am blessed already, and my subsequent prophecies after our discussion about his ambition aren’t because he failed to buy the musical instrument, it can never be.”
I didn’t try to extort N150m from Minister Adelabu – Primate Ayodele
