Renowned prophet, founder and spiritual leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, with headquarters in Lagos, Primate Elijah Ayodele, in this interview with VERA WISDOM-BASSEY speaks on the 2019 elections and other expectations in Nigeria.
How do you feel about the tension and crises in the country ahead of next year’s election?
Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb, Buhari cannot fight corruption; if he is not corrupt one way or the other, he has followed a corrupt party. I don’t want to mention anybody’s name.
If you’re saying a particular person is corrupt and because of that you send EFCC after that person or if somebody does not support your agenda, you send the anti-graft agency after him, that is not the best way.
Nigeria is sitting on a time bomb; lets hope that the election will be conducted the same time, next year, because the election will be a bit dicey, more so, President Buhari cannot take Nigeria to the promised land.
Why did you say the election will be dicey?
This is because the ruling party is creating tension; They do not want anybody that criticises them; they are bitter on any one that talks about them; they try to weaken the PDP; when they were in opposition party, they were criticising, and doing all sorts of things but because somebody is trying to put them on their toes, even from the Senate, they start fighting.
I am not saying that they should like me, but they are not laying any precedent for the youth; what they are showing the youth is bitterness and they are not ready to help the youth to grow. They just wan to re-circle leaders.
Anybody defecting to the ruling party is doing so because he wants favour, either because he is corrupt, and wants to be protected.
The ruling party is deceiving Nigerians, and its style of democracy will break Nigeria. Resource control will break Nigeria and tribalism will fuel our wrath. People defecting to APC do not like the party, and the party itself is creating more problems for themselves, so Buhari’s second term is not too certain.
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How do you feel about the defection of former Akwa Ibom governor, Goodwill Akpabio?
The ruling party is an occult. If I were the President, anybody that defects to my party will be the first person to be sent to jail. The ruling party will destroy this democracy; our democracy is at risk.
Whoever that wants to contest against them, they frown at it because they don’t want anybody to contest against them; these are the things they are doing.
I don’t think God is happy with Nigeria, nor its leaders; because of the blood that has been used as sacrifice, the country is not moving forward.
We need a party that will run the country now, and if PDP will give the ticket to Saraki, then he will move the country forward; they don’t need to stress themselves, but should come as one in unity and give the ticket of presidential candidate to Saraki.
Removing Saraki as the Senate President will cause trouble, I am not in support of any party but I speak as a prophet of God. Nigeria is shaking the way the steering wheel is going, lets pray that it does not sink.
What will break Nigeria?
True federalism will break Nigeria. Wrong practice of democracy and bloodbath will break the country. It will all start when a shocking referendum will be staged.
You are so particular about Saraki, what is his mission?
He will rule for just four years and put the country in order. I am talking as a prophet of God. I said in 2015 that so many things will happen in Buhari’s administration and it has happened. If PDP puts their house in order; that is what will defeat any party.
If PDP wants to do well, let them be united, and know what they are doing and do the right thing. I don’t belong to any party.
Most people who are defecting will still land in jail because judgment is coming to all Nigerian leaders. Those who are defecting now are not seeing the consequences ahead of them.
The fore-fathers of this nation are not asleep; they want to revenge, we have done a lot of blood sacrifice and that is why things are happening like this.
Another set of three different Boko Haram is coming to Nigeria; let’s just watch and see what will happen. I fear nobody because God has sent me; anything that happens, let the will of God be done. Nobody is talking about the economy? There is poverty and hunger in the country; nobody is talking about it.
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It is politics everywhere. They are just doing packaging; nobody is talking about anything that is happening to Nigerians, or how they feel.
I am not giving any opinion; there is poverty everywhere and because of this, people will vote against their conscience because this is the election of the highest bidder. People will not want to vote for the people they want, but they will vote for a temporal bail out, and that will not settle the case.
Where is the fate of the youth and their future with this kind of cross-carpeting going on in Nigeria?
We will still see more, and they are not ready to obey the rule of law. Even if they don’t get it right, APC is a party that does not allow opposition, and that is why former President Goodluck Jonathan remains a democracy hero.
He did not embarrass anybody; what Jonathan accepted, the present leader cannot accept it. Anybody can criticise me, I am not voting but I will tell my members to vote. Already, I am telling them to pick their PVC. I don’t know how long we’ll remain stagnant; there is no light.
Here, where my church is located, light comes in the morning, by 3pm in the afternoon, the light goes off, so the way the country is going, it seems we have visionless leaders.
Since our leaders are in this dilemma, what do you think is the hope for Nigerian citizenry?
I read in the paper that the opposition party said some Babalawo misled them but prophecy has helped Nigerians and it gives information ahead; those who believe,we give it and it has helped so many people. As a person, I like Buhari better than Saraki, just that he does not want to do what he is supposed to do. When God say that is the way, I have to deliver it, no sentiment.
Nigeria needs prayers so that the economy, and politics and other things will not collapse. I cry for the future of this country, they are not thinking of the future of the people, to make the country better.
What promoted your going into prophesying?
Nothing promoted me; it is God who sent me to go and prophecy to the nation and when you
are doing all of this, not everyone will like it.
Some will not like it and some will like it; prophecy is not what you are saying by your name, but they are waiting to praise you.
I don’t want anybody to praise me; I don’t want anybody to say, you’re doing well; I only wait for God, I don’t care about people’s comment. All glory about the prophecy are ascribed to God Almighty.
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What year did you start prophesying?
We started very long, but on the prophecy of the church, it started 1984 when we came to limelight. I can collate 10,000 prophecies that have came to pass.
When you started, was it at a younger age, or how?
God spoke to me; I didn’t go to church, nor did I believe in God, but he spoke to me. I was a very rascal person, but when God showed me his own side, I quickly accepted, because if I don’t follow his ways, I will perish.
Nobody calls me to go to church, even if they do, I will not listen, because my interest was not there.
Is there any regret in taking up the cleric work?
If I had opportunity of coming back to the world again, I will work for God. Working for God is more than working in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Why did you say so?
Because when you are working for God and have what it takes, he gives you peace, joy and what you want and everything you […]
Recently, we saw some European countries visiting Nigeria; is it just for bilateral relations or are they trying to enslave Nigerians again?
I said it before that towards the end of Buhari’s tenure, America and Nigeria will have disagreement and I will still warn him not to rely on America because if he does, they will frustrate him towards the end of his government.
The money he wants to borrow from China is bondage. The fact remains that the President Mohammedu Buhari has made the wrong step to borrow money from China, this will not help us at all.
Why?
“The money is not going to help us. I don’t know anything about economy but God knows everything. Buhari is putting Nigeria into bondage; Nigerians should do something that will bring investors into the country but how to manage the investors, he said is our problem.
The government has not met the needs of the people; there is poverty in the land. People are crying and dying of hardship. What the government is doing is absolutely wrong; they are using Nigerians for politics; if they don’t settle the problems, it will not help us.
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Take for instance during elections, they import rice but give local rice to the people. The administration is not getting things right, and since he is not getting things right, his second term is going to be catastrophic for the economy.
Talking about corruption, the incumbent president cannot fight the corrupt people that are ruling; the system is corrupt politically, economically and other wise. As the economy is going now, it is not favourable.
If Buhari fights corruption, the people involved will die, especially those people he believes so much in.”
He lamented that the government is not allowing EFCC to do their work.