Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu Alleges N150 Million Extortion by Primate Ayodele, Petitions DSS

Bayo Adelabu, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, has petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS) over what he describes as an attempt by Primate Elijah Ayodele, founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church in Lagos, to extort N150 million for “spiritual intercession” to help him win the Oyo governorship. Adelabu, a former governorship candidate, has announced his intention to run again in 2027.

In a petition dated October 13, 2025, submitted through his special adviser on strategic communications, Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu alleged that Ayodele made repeated demands for large sums of money and costly items, including 24 APC flags and up to 1,000 saxophones or trumpets, before promising to intercede on his behalf. “Since his tenure as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and particularly in the period leading up to his current aspiration to serve as the Governor of Oyo State, this individual had persistently approached him with unsolicited offers of ‘spiritual intercession’ purportedly to guarantee electoral success,” the petition stated.

Text messages obtained by TheCable reportedly show Ayodele insisting that his actions were “instruction from God” and urging Adelabu to complete rituals, including reciting “almu nasira 200 times.” In response, Adelabu told the cleric he could not afford the items. Following this, Ayodele allegedly made public statements declaring that Adelabu had failed and would not become governor, calling his earlier advice a “warning from God.”

Adelabu told the DSS he rejected the cleric’s demands because his political ambitions are guided by “genuine service and not by spiritual manipulation or fetish practices.” The minister is seeking an investigation into Ayodele’s actions and a retraction of what he calls “false prophecies,” as well as a formal apology. “I write to formally draw the attention of the Department of State Services to the extortive, deceitful, and inciting activities of one self-acclaimed pastor… capable of disturbing public peace and undermining the integrity of the political process in Oyo State,” the petition said.

In a phone interview, Primate Ayodele denied extortion, claiming that Adelabu approached him first. “I didn’t blackmail him. We didn’t have any transaction. Again, no money was exchanged between us,” he said. “I discussed some terms with him, which he didn’t agree with. I didn’t make any attempt to extort him. I can sell my services for any amount. I can value it at N1 billion as much as I provide the value he wants… I’m big. I’m not poor. I take care of vulnerable people. I’m blessed in the Lord.”

Adelabu has also petitioned the Oyo State Police Commissioner over what he described as the cleric’s “extortive and inciting activities.” The matter now rests with the DSS and law enforcement authorities.