Shettima Will Take Over From Tinubu Before 2031 – Ayodele Prophesies
Primate Elijah Ayodele, the founder of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has said President Bola Tinubu may be unable to complete a second term if he wins the 2027 presidential election, suggesting that Vice-President Kashim Shettima could succeed him.
The cleric made the claim in a video released on Tuesday, saying Tinubu’s health would require prayers if he were to complete his current tenure and secure another four years in office.
Ayodele described the statement as a warning based on what he called divine revelation, rather than a curse against the President.
He referred to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who died in office in 2010 after a prolonged illness, as a possible precedent.
“If Tinubu wins the second time, he will not finish it. I stand by my word, he will not finish it. What happened to Yar’Adua or whatever that will make him not to finish it that will lead to emergency government, make Shettima take over from him might happen,” Ayodele said.
“Tinubu will not finish his second term, thus says the Lord of hosts,” he added.
He further alleged that individuals around the President were shielding him from opinions and messages that could challenge his decisions.
“People surrounding Tinubu don’t want him to hear the truth. They don’t want him to hear people like us. I don’t say prophets should not go again. Let them bring one billion alfas. It is a matter of time. You will all see it,” he said.
Ayodele maintained that his prediction would remain unchanged if Tinubu returned to power in 2027.
“If Tinubu wins a second term, he will not finish it. It is not a curse,” he said.
He also urged members of Tinubu’s family to pay closer attention to the President’s wellbeing.
“You are not seeing what I am seeing. Tinubu is not OK. He needs prayers. Wife, children of Tinubu, wake up. Seyi! Help Tinubu. Don’t let your father die,” Ayodele said.
The comments come amid renewed debate over Tinubu’s 2027 ambitions, his absence from Nigeria and Shettima’s recent trip to the United States.
Tinubu departed Nigeria on August 30 for what the Presidency described as a three-week working vacation. His stay was later extended, with officials saying he was expected back at the weekend.
The President is currently in France, while Shettima travelled to New York on September 20 to represent Nigeria at the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The simultaneous absence of the President and Vice-President has prompted questions about who is constitutionally empowered to exercise presidential authority.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed the suggestion that he was acting President, saying Tinubu remained in control of the government.
“I am the Senate President and not the acting President of Nigeria because President Tinubu is still in power. He’s on a working leave, and there’s no absence in Aso Rock,” Akpabio said in Akwa Ibom State.
He also rejected claims that the situation had created a constitutional vacuum.
“Right now, there is no vacancy. Asiwaju Tinubu is still in power, and he’s still running the affairs of Nigeria.
“The world is a global village, you can give instructions from the internet. So why are people complaining?” he said.
His remarks followed demands from opposition figures and political organisations for the National Assembly to determine whether the constitutional provisions on presidential absence had been satisfied.
Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress presidential candidate, said the expiration of Tinubu’s initial 21-day period raised questions under Section 145 of the Constitution.
“This is no longer about Tinubu’s vacation. It is about whether Nigeria will be governed according to its Constitution.
“The 21 days have expired. The National Assembly must act now,” Sowore said.
Under Section 145(1), a President who proceeds on vacation or is otherwise unable to perform the functions of office is expected to transmit a written declaration to the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, stating that the Vice-President should act as President.
Section 145(2) provides for National Assembly intervention if the President fails or is unable to transmit the declaration within 21 days.
The African Democratic Congress has also criticised the continued absence of Tinubu and Shettima, arguing that attending official events on behalf of the President does not amount to exercising presidential powers.
“Representation is not governance. Attendance at official functions is not presidential authority,” the party said.
The ADC added that Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume could not assume presidential powers merely by representing Tinubu at official engagements. It also questioned whether the phrase “working vacation” addressed the constitutional requirements governing presidential absence.
