The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned President Bola Tinubu to be cautious of some political allies, predicting that influential figures around him could betray him weeks before the 2027 presidential election.
Ayodele’s warning comes as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) intensifies preparations for the next general election, with political alignments, defections and the mobilisation of influential figures expected to shape the contest.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric alleged that some people surrounding the President were not genuinely interested in his success but were driven by personal interests.
He reportedly made the remarks while reacting to the inauguration of the APC presidential campaign council, questioning the sincerity of some members and warning Tinubu against mistaking public celebrations and declarations of support for genuine loyalty.
According to the cleric, the President needs to distinguish between those who genuinely want him to succeed and those who may abandon him when the political stakes become higher.
“Majority of the people at the inauguration don’t wish you well, Tinubu. They are just there for fun and to celebrate with bitterness,” Ayodele said.
He also cautioned the President against placing too much confidence in politicians defecting to the APC, arguing that their arrival might not necessarily strengthen his re-election prospects.
“Even those defecting to the APC will be a burden on your re-election bid. Don’t celebrate it. It’s a means to cover your sight,” he said.
Ayodele further alleged that some of Tinubu’s associates could prevent him from receiving honest advice by pushing away people who genuinely want the President to succeed.
He warned that such actions, if left unchecked, could leave the President surrounded by people more interested in protecting their personal ambitions than advancing his political interests.
The cleric urged Tinubu to take what he described as decisive steps before the campaign reaches its final stage, warning that the President might discover the intentions of some of his closest political allies only two weeks before the election.
“Two weeks to the election, if you don’t act and take a drastic step before it’s too late, major people you think are serious will betray you,” he said.
Beyond concerns about loyalty within the party, Ayodele also identified northern Nigeria as a region requiring greater attention from the President’s campaign team.
He argued that the campaign still had considerable work to do in the North and urged Tinubu not to be distracted by public praise, political celebrations or the number of politicians joining the ruling party.
“Forget all these dances and praises; there is a lot to do in the North, and your campaign team is yet to capture the North. Take my words seriously and don’t let them fail you,” he added.
The 2027 presidential election is expected to test the APC’s ability to sustain its political support across the country’s six geopolitical zones as opposition parties seek to challenge Tinubu’s bid for a second term.
Ayodele’s statements represent his predictions about the President’s political future; the allegations of possible betrayal have not been independently established.