Primate Elijah Ayodele, founder and leader of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has dismissed allegations of extortion levelled against him by the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, saying ₦150 million is “not enough to buy my shoe.”
Nigerian Tribune reports that Ayodele spoke on Sunday during a church service at his Oke Afa headquarters in Lagos, reacting to a petition reportedly submitted by Adelabu to the Department of State Services (DSS).
Adelabu had accused the cleric of blackmail and attempting to extort ₦150 million from him under the guise of “spiritual intercession” to enable him become governor of Oyo State.
Adelabu, who has contested the Oyo governorship election twice and has indicated interest in contesting again in 2027, also alleged that Ayodele demanded 1,000 saxophones or trumpets. He claimed the items included Nigerian-grade instruments valued at about ₦50 million and imported grade-one instruments from China worth up to ₦130 million.
The minister further alleged that his refusal to meet the demands led Ayodele to issue false prophecies aimed at damaging his reputation and political ambition.
Responding during the church service, Ayodele denied the allegations, insisting that he neither demanded money nor invited the minister to seek spiritual help. He described Adelabu as “pained” over an impending political loss.
“The shoe I wear, can ₦150 million buy it? Can ₦150 million buy my car? Leave that person alone. He knows he has lost; that is why he is pained.”
The cleric also dismissed the minister’s claims as baseless, describing him as “a boy who doesn’t understand what he is saying.”
“I don’t do prophecies to impress anyone or to invite people to me. If I collected money, I would openly say I collected money. But I did not collect money, and I did not invite him,” Ayodele said.
In a separate statement issued on Saturday, Ayodele maintained that Adelabu approached him in desperation, adding that the minister had told him he was willing to do anything to become governor of Oyo State.
The dispute has since drawn public attention following the DSS petition, with both parties maintaining sharply opposing accounts of the encounter.
Nigerian Tribune
