Founder and Head of Inri Evangelical Spiritual Church, Lagos, Primate
Elijah Babatunde Ayodele, has dismissed a report that listed his name
as one of prophets whose prophecies about the 2015 elections
particularly the presidential segment that pitted President Goodluck
Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari, did not come through.
The Ikere, Ekiti State-born prophet, said there was nothing he said
in his book, ‘Warnings to the Nation’ about the elections and the two
major contenders that did not come to pass. Quoting from the warnings,
Ayodele said he was seeing his negative prophecies come through as a
result of nonchalance on the part of the people concerned.
The prophet said he however had a
message for the APC in that same publication in 2013 that, “If they
(APC) really want to rule, they have to struggle and pray very well to
get the right candidate. They must be careful so that their party is
not used for negotiation.During a press briefing in his church
office, in Lagos, he repeated some of the warnings especially as
published and asked which among them did not come through. He started
by quoting what he said the Lord said through him as published in Saturday Vanguard
of December 28, 2013: “President Goodluck Jonathan’s second term is
dicey. He will start some political abracadabra in order to gain his
second term which will be characterised by so much of negotiations. He
will have to cajole and beg a lot of people; he will also beg Obasanjo.
What Nigerians see now is only a tip of an iceberg of the clash that
will come between Obasanjo and Jonathan. Jonathan might be the last
president of PDP to rule this country, anyway.”
In another interview published on November 2, 2014, the Inri Church
leader gave reasons the APC was asked to fast on October 27, 28, 29 of
same year, which he said was not really taken serious.
He stated, “About the state of the nation, if a prophet speaks, he
finds solution. We said APC, All Progressives Congress, should fast 27,
28, 29 (of October). The question should be, for what? There are
three reasons:
One, if they really want to control the central government as a
ruling party (in 2015), then they must fast. Then two is for them not
to lose any of their leaders and, three, for the avoidance of wrangling
among themselves.”
He said he had in the November 2, 2014 interview said that Jonathan’s
visit to Jerusalem was a waste of time but that if he really desired to
win the 2015 election, he should fast for 14 days, a call he said he
did not heed.
The primate wondered if those that
listed him in a newspaper report as one of prophets whose prophecies did
not come through had actually followed his prophecies at all. The man
of God however urged President-elect Buhari and other stakeholders in
the administration of the country (outgoing and incoming) to be
God-fearing, God-conscious, heeding warnings by truthfulIn The
Guardian of Saturday, July 13, 2013, Ayodele specifically referred to
what he said about 2015 as laying the foundation for the disintegration
of Nigeria “except we pray and Jonathan listens to the words of God.”
The publication revealed the primate as prophesying that “Jonathan will
not win in 2015,” citing many other warnings of the past that he did
including the one published by Daily Champion of Wednesday February 29,
2012 at page 43 where he said, “I am not against President Jonathan or
his government but let him not contest in 2015.
He should relax else he
will break the country. In Weekend Champion of June 16 – 17, 2012 at
page 12, I said, ‘The governors will gang up against Jonathan and the
PDP will lose the central government in 2015. In Global Excellence of
Tuesday, September 25 – Monday October 1, 2012 at page 5, I said
‘President Jonathan’s 2015 ambition will break the governors into
factions’ and that Governor Mimiko should not leave the Labour Party for
the PDP”. Ayodele then asked what it was that was his prophetic role in
helping the people in charge of the country operate successfully that
he had not done.
and sincere religious leaders with a view to seeking solutions. “This is the way to run a successful nation,” he counselled.