Highly revered cleric and founder of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against fielding former vice president Atiku Abubakar as its standard bearer in the 2027 presidential election.
The clergyman stated that the party should be prepared for a certain defeat if it gave its presidential ticket to the Turakin Adamawa.
Primate Ayodele noted in a statement signed by his media aide, that Atiku does not have the capacity to defeat President Bola Tinubu.
However, the cleric said the only way PDP could achieve victory, or inch near it in the coming polls, is if the party can drag former president Goodluck Jonathan into the race.
He also said Atiku is not the answer for PDP and that if he is allowed to contest again, PDP will be ‘buried’ finally because he (Atiku) ‘doesn’t have what it takes to remove Tinubu from office.’
The prophet stated that the best Atiku can do is support a good candidate and ‘the best person for PDP at the moment is Goodluck Jonathan’ if at all the party wants to smell victory in 2027.
He also advised that if Goodluck Jonathan can join forces with former senate president, Bukola Saraki, with the support of a coalition of opposition parties, there will be great chances at victory for the party.
The statement reads, “If PDP wants to near victory, they should persuade Goodluck Jonathan to contest under the party to wake them from their slumber. Atiku will not be an answer to PDP and if he comes out to contest again, it will be the final burial of PDP. He doesn’t have what it takes to remove Tinubu from office.
“I can only advise Atiku to support a good candidate and the best option for PDP now is Goodluck Jonathan. I said he shouldn’t contest before but as it stands, he is the only one who can assist PDP from its final burial. If he can join forces with Saraki, together with a coalition of opposition parties, PDP has chances at victory.”
However, according to Primate Ayodele, Jonathan is scared and in doubt of his capacity.
He urged the party to give him the support he needed in order to agree to contest.
“If Jonathan is ready, he should be able to do all of these but he is scared. The fear of the unknown is troubling Jonathan. If the PDP can persuade him and give him all the backing he needs, he will be able to help the party survive.”
Furthermore, Primate Ayodele explained that if Jonathan doesn’t contest, and without a coalition of opposition parties, President Tinubu will still retain his seat as Nigeria’s president.
Continuing, he described the person who can remove Tinubu as one who is desperate, financially stable, unrighteous, fearless, and rugged, to mention but a few.
He asserted that the 2027 election will not be for lazy people but for those who know what they want and are ready to pursue it till the very end.
“If this cannot happen, I don’t see anyhow any party wants to defeat Tinubu, it will be totally impossible. The person that will defeat Tinubu must be financially stable, spiritually inclined, must be desperate, must not be righteous.
”The election will be for somebody who is ready for anything, fearless, rugged, entirely serious, someone who has past good records, ready to waste money, too, because all of these are what Tinubu has.
“The 2027 election isn’t for righteous people, the person who wants to win must be ready to face anything and must be ready to listen to God’s divine instructions at all times. It’s not for lazy people but very determined people. You must also be ready to accept lies and truth together. Tinubu is too strong to be pushed aside.”
