The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Tuesday warned the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, that President Bola Tinubu wants him out of office.

Ayodele also informed the governor that the All Progressives Congress, APC, wants to perform magic in the poll.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele said Tinubu is interested in the governorship election scheduled for Saturday.

This is coming after politicians in the state insinuated that Tinubu has no interest in the election following his directive to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to unfreeze Osun State’s accounts.

The cleric urged Adeleke not to listen to those saying the President isn’t involved, further advising him to do everything to ensure he retains his seat.

“Tinubu is fully involved and interested in Osun State. Adeleke shouldn’t allow anybody to deceive him that the president isn’t interested in it. He is closely monitoring the election and wants Adeleke out of power.

“Adeleke must do everything he knows to ensure he stays in power because if he loses, it won’t be an easy journey for him. It will even be difficult to get anything from the court. The APC wants to perform magic, but he must not allow them.

“The APC will use money, influence, power, forces, and the presidency. It won’t be easy at all; it will be very serious,” he said.

Afrobeats star, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has called on United States President Donald Trump to pay attention to the forthcoming Osun State governorship election.

Davido made the appeal in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, expressing concerns over rising tension and the possibility of violence, intimidation and disruption of the democratic process ahead of the poll.

The post read: “A CALL FOR ATTENTION TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

“President Donald Trump, I am calling your attention to the situation in Osun State, Nigeria, as we approach the election.

“There are growing concerns about tension and the possibility of violence, intimidation, or disruption of the democratic process. Osun people deserve to exercise their constitutional right to vote freely, peacefully, and without fear.

“I appeal to the United States and the international community to pay close attention to the election and encourage all relevant authorities to ensure that every voter is protected and every vote is respected.

“We do not want bloodshed. We do not want intimidation. We want peace, transparency, and a free and fair election. @realDonaldTrump.”

Ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial election, Ibibio National Union, a socio political group in Akwa Ibom State, has announced that Ibibio indigenes have withdrawn their support for the zoning of the governorship position among ethnic groups in the state.

The group also dismissed the notion that Akwa Ibom stands on a tripod of three ethnic groups – Ibibio, Annang and Oro.

Ibibio National Union spoke in a statement by its National President, Engr. Emmanuel Akpan, which was made available to journalists on Tuesday in Uyo.

“The truth is that Akwa Ibom State, like every other state in Nigeria, stands on a scientific tripod of three senatorial districts – North East (Uyo), North West (Ikot Ekpene) and South East (Eket). In any composition of multi-ethnic nationalities to form a state or nation state, some groups would always remain a minority,” Akpan said.

He explained that Ibibio ethnic group occupies 100 percent of Uyo Senatorial District, 80 percent of Eket Senatorial District and 20 percent of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, adding that other groups are not “in large enough numbers” to make any significant difference in the political equation of the state.

The statement added, “Other groups like Oro should face the reality, respect themselves, swallow their pride, seek accommodation in an Ibibio dominated political space if they want to produce a governor in the state. Let it be emphasised that no Oro person can become governor of Akwa Ibom State without the support of the Ibibios – the majority and largest ethnic group in the state.”

Also, another Ibibio group, Mboho Ikot Abasi, led by Mkpisong Chelly Okoko, warned against what it described as “weaponization of minority status as an instrument of terrorising or blackmailing the Ibibio majority on the flimsiest issues in the state”.

In its own position on the issue, the umbrella organisation of Ibibio people, Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, noted that although the position of governor is rotated on the basis of senatorial districts in the state, the minorities in the various districts should not assume it would be zoned to them.

“Oro people, for instance, must understand that the majority Ibibio nation has a critical role to play for an Oro person to emerge as governor of Akwa Ibom State,” the organisation said.

The leaders of the organisation, Obong Pius Okon, Ntisong IV, and Mkpisong Tony Okpon, urged Oro people and other minorities in the state to “stop insulting and undermining the Ibibio people”.