2027: Tinubu May Win Abuja Only Through Rigging, Primate Ayodele Predicts

Primate Elijah Ayodele, Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has predicted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could face significant electoral challenges in the 2027 presidential election, claiming that the president might win the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, only through rigging.

Ayodele, who made the prediction in a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, said support for Tinubu was declining in several parts of Northern Nigeria, where he claimed voters were increasingly determined to vote against the incumbent president.

The cleric warned that the political situation in the North could undermine Tinubu's re-election ambition, arguing that the region would play a decisive role in determining the outcome of the presidential election.

According to him, the president would encounter difficulties in securing the support of northern voters unless he took steps to address the factors contributing to the alleged decline in his popularity.

Ayodele also dismissed suggestions that the reported selection of former Zamfara State Governor Abdulazeez Yari as Tinubu's campaign director-general could reverse the situation, insisting that northern voters had already made up their minds.

"The North hates Tinubu's candidacy, and even with Yari as DG, they are adamant to vote Tinubu because what is happening now is just nemesis. God has given the North the power to decide who rules Nigeria," he said.

He added that the region's political choices would significantly influence the direction of the presidential contest.

"It is wherever they decide that the pendulum will switch to. Tinubu will have problems in some northern states, including Adamawa, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Bauchi. Abuja too is shaking, and it can only be gotten through rigging. Yobe, Gombe and Kebbi are divided," Ayodele said.

The cleric maintained that the president's electoral prospects could still change if his administration took what he described as the appropriate steps, although he expressed doubt that Yari's reported appointment would be sufficient to restore support.

"It can still change if the president knows what to do, but they are shaking already. Yari cannot do the mending. It's all about time, and the date for the election is not a victory date for Tinubu," he added.

Ayodele's comments amount to a prediction about the political atmosphere ahead of the 2027 election. The claims about declining support for Tinubu, the voting intentions of northern Nigerians and the prospects of the All Progressives Congress in the identified states were not independently established in the statement.

Primate Predicts Eventual Change of Nigeria's Name

Beyond his political predictions, Ayodele also predicted that Nigeria's name would eventually be changed, arguing that the country's name had spiritual implications for governance and national development.

He claimed that the name was spiritually contaminated and that this condition could affect the ability of successive governments to deliver on their promises, even when leaders assumed office with good intentions.

According to the cleric, the country would eventually reconsider its name when its leaders gained what he described as the spiritual understanding necessary to recognise its implications.

"The name Nigeria is affecting leadership of this great nation. It will eventually be changed when God opens the eyes of some leaders. The name is contaminated and has serious spiritual implications on the nation," he said.

Ayodele further argued that the country's name could contribute to setbacks by preventing governments from identifying and implementing appropriate solutions to national challenges.

"It will not make the government know what to do when they get to power, even if they have good intentions. The name doesn't have a good aura and will cause setbacks. You may not understand, but when it's time, people will know better," he said.

The cleric did not provide a proposed alternative name for the country or outline a process through which such a change could be achieved.

His prediction comes as political parties and their supporters prepare for the 2027 general election, with the performance of the Tinubu administration, economic conditions, security, electoral credibility and the strength of opposition parties likely to feature prominently in political debates.

Ultimately, the president's re-election prospects will be determined by voters through the electoral process. Ayodele's remarks represent his personal political and spiritual predictions rather than established findings about how Nigerians intend to vote.