Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has issued a dramatic and urgent warning to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, declaring that President Bola Tinubu is "fully involved" in the upcoming governorship election and is determined to remove the incumbent from office. The prophecy, delivered on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, just four days before the crucial poll, has injected an explosive mix of religion, politics, and tension into an already volatile electoral contest.
In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Primate Ayodele cautioned Governor Adeleke against believing political insinuations that President Tinubu has no interest in the election. The warning follows speculation fueled by the President's recent directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to lift a freezing order on Osun State's accounts, an action some interpreted as a gesture of goodwill toward the incumbent governor. Ayodele dismissed such interpretations, insisting that the President's interest in the election is both deep and tactical.
"Tinubu is fully involved and interested in Osun State. Adeleke shouldn't allow anybody to deceive him that the president isn't interested in it. He is closely monitoring the election and wants Adeleke out of power," Ayodele declared. The cleric further warned that if Governor Adeleke loses the election, the consequences would be severe and lasting. "Adeleke must do everything he knows to ensure he stays in power because if he loses, it won't be an easy journey for him. It will even be difficult to get anything from the court," Ayodele stated, suggesting that legal recourse after a potential defeat would be an uphill battle.
Ayodele also offered a glimpse into what he described as the All Progressives Congress (APC)'s five-pronged strategy to secure victory, predicting that the party would deploy an array of resources to win the Osun governorship seat. "The APC will use money, influence, power, forces, and the presidency. It won't be easy at all; it will be very serious," he said. The cleric's warning suggests that the ruling party is prepared to pull out all the stops to reclaim Osun State from Governor Adeleke, who is running on the Accord Party platform after defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party.
This latest prophecy marks a shift in Primate Ayodele's previous pronouncements on the Osun election. In June 2026, the cleric had predicted that Governor Adeleke would win a second term, declaring that "God has already anointed Ademola Adeleke to secure a second term in office". However, he also warned at the time that the APC would attempt to snatch victory from the governor. Now, with the election just days away, Ayodele's emphasis appears to have shifted from prophesying victory to warning of a coordinated effort to unseat the incumbent.
The cleric's intervention comes amid an increasingly heated political atmosphere in Osun State. The governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15, 2026, has been marked by allegations of political violence, police harassment, and intimidation. The Imole Campaign Council, Governor Adeleke's re-election vehicle, has accused the police of targeting its members, including the arrest of Commissioner for Environment Mayowa Adejoorin and the midnight detention of the governor's media aide, Alalade Bukola Félix. The campaign council has also petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the removal of APC chieftains allegedly assigned to handle sensitive election materials and logistics across the state's 30 local government areas.
Primate Ayodele's warning also resonates with broader fears of federal interference in the election. Governor Adeleke himself had earlier cautioned President Tinubu against allowing a repeat of the 1983 political crisis, warning that rigging the election could trigger violence. The APC, however, has dismissed Adeleke's allegations, accusing him of making inflammatory and unfounded claims against the President.
The Osun governorship election is widely viewed as a precursor to the 2027 general elections, with both the ruling APC and the opposition Accord Party treating the contest as a litmus test for their electoral fortunes. President Tinubu, who has been actively involved in the APC's campaign efforts, has already deployed several APC governors to Osun to support the party's candidate, Bola Oyebamiji. Governor Adeleke, for his part, has relied on his record of infrastructure development and educational reforms—moving Osun from 33rd to 7th in WAEC rankings—to make his case for re-election.
Primate Ayodele's warnings have added a spiritual dimension to an already tense contest. His track record of political pronouncements, some of which have aligned with subsequent events, lends weight to his warnings among supporters, though critics view such predictions as strategic positioning. The cleric's counsel that the election will be "very serious" and that Adeleke must "do everything he knows" to retain his seat underscores the high stakes of the contest.
As Osun State prepares to go to the polls on Saturday, Primate Ayodele's warning has placed the election in the crosshairs of national attention. The question of whether President Tinubu is truly determined to remove Governor Adeleke, and whether the APC's alleged "five-pronged" strategy will succeed, will be answered at the ballot box. But for now, the cleric has made his position clear: Governor Adeleke should not sleep, should not be deceived, and should prepare for the battle of his political life.
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