Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has cautioned President Bola Tinubu to stay alert amid mounting diplomatic tensions with the United States over alleged attacks on Christians in Nigeria.
The cleric warned that escalating accusations from Washington represent a calculated strategy to undermine Tinubu’s government before the 2027 general elections.
Speaking through his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele said the crisis follows threats of military intervention by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christian communities.
“I have been talking about America fighting Tinubu’s government, but they didn’t take cognisance. When I spoke about the coup, some political commentators criticised it, but what has happened now?” he said.
The spiritual leader claimed the mounting pressure from Washington forms part of a broader conspiracy involving local opposition figures and foreign allies determined to weaken the president’s grip on power.
“Tinubu’s government must not sleep on it. It’s a plan to send the government off in 2027. Beyond the allegations, it’s an orchestrated plan to send Tinubu out of power. The president hasn’t seen it that way,” he warned.
Ayodele alleged that opposition politicians had secured international backing to remove Tinubu from office, describing the unfolding events as a coordinated assault on the administration’s legitimacy.
“Either Tinubu likes it or not, it’s a signal to deviate from the strength and power of his government. The opposition has completed their dealings with some international countries to get support to remove Tinubu from office,” he stated.
The cleric urged the president to seek spiritual intervention whilst fortifying his government’s internal structures against external threats.
“It’s a gang-up plan to remove you from office. Don’t sleep, more is coming. He needs to seek the face of God. The American government doesn’t want Tinubu in 2027,” he added.
The warning comes days after Trump threatened Nigeria with military action on Saturday, declaring he had instructed the Pentagon to prepare plans for possible intervention over alleged killings of Christians.
Writing on social media, Trump warned Washington could cut aid to Nigeria and “go in guns-a-blazing” if the government “continues to allow the killing of Christians.”
He said he had ordered the “Department of War to prepare for possible action,” adding that any strike would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
The remarks followed Trump’s Friday announcement designating Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over alleged Christian persecution a classification President Tinubu swiftly rejected as inaccurate.
