Primate Elijah Ayodele, founder and head of INRI EvangelicalSpiritual Church, says N150 million is not enough to buy his shoe. Speaking during a service at his church in Oke Afa, Lagos,on Sunday, the cleric said Bayo Adelabu, minister of power, is pained becausehe knows he will lose another attempt to become governor of Oyo. Ayodele was responding to TheCable’s report on how Adelabupetitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), accusing the cleric ofblackmail and attempting to extort N150 million from him for “spiritualintercession” to make him governor of Oyo state. Adelabu, who had twice contested the Oyo governorshipelection, has declared his intention to contest again in 2027. The minister accused Ayodele of demanding 1,000 pieces ofsaxophones/trumpets, with the least expensive, fairly used Nigerian-gradecosting a total of N50 million, and the imported grade-one from China costingN130 million. Adelabu claimed that his refusal to yield to Ayodele’sdemands led the cleric to make false prophecies intended to malign hisreputation and his political ambition. Ayodele, in a statement on Saturday, denied making anattempt to extort Adelabu, saying the minister came to him in desperation. Thecleric noted that the minister said he would do anything to become Oyogovernor. Speaking during the church service earlier in the day,Ayodele described Adelabu as “a boy” who “doesn’t understand what he issaying”. The pastor then dismissed the N150 million quoted in thepetition, adding that “the shoe I wear, can N150 million buy it?” “I can’t disappoint you. I can only disappoint you when youare not a good person. I carry something bigger than me,” Ayodele said. “I am not doing prophecies to impress you or invite you tome. I don’t do prophecies for you to come and do enquiries. Take it, or youleave it. “If I collected money, I would openly say I collected money.But I did not collect money, and I did not invite him. So, the boy doesn’tunderstand what he is saying. He is a boy. He doesn’t understand. Don’t givepower to those who have mouth diarrhoea. “Can N150 million buy my car? The shoe I wear, can N150million buy it? Leave that person alone. He is a small boy. He knows he haslost that why he is pained.”
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