Primate Elijah Ayodele, founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has denied claims that he attempted to extort N150 million from the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu.
The allegations, reported by TheCable, suggested that Adelabu had petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), accusing Ayodele of blackmail and demanding money and expensive “spiritual items” in exchange for prayers to aid his 2027 governorship ambition in Oyo State.
Adelabu reportedly claimed that Ayodele requested 24 APC flags and 1,000 trumpets or saxophones, with prices ranging from N50 million for used Nigerian-grade instruments to N130 million for Chinese grade-one.
According to the report, after Adelabu refused, Ayodele allegedly prophesied that he would not become governor.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele refuted the claims, insisting that he never demanded N150 million from the minister. He admitted mentioning musical instruments but said Adelabu himself asked for the cost, and he merely advised him to check market prices independently.
Ayodele added that the minister and his aides “put him under pressure” due to Adelabu’s “desperate” desire for governorship. He stressed that the suggestion of the instruments was intended as an act of seeking God’s mercy, not as payment to the church.
“I didn’t ask Bayo Adelabu to bring money for prayers,” Ayodele said. “His personal assistant and the person he sent pressured me. He even said he was willing to give anything to become governor.”
The cleric maintained that his prophecies regarding Adelabu’s political ambitions were never linked to financial gain. “I don’t make prophecies to make money. I am blessed already,” he said.
