FACTCHECK: Did Pastor Chris recently prophesy about the 2027 election? What we found

An online article claims that Nigerian pastor Chris Oyakhilome recently delivered a prophecy concerning three key contenders for Nigeria's 2027 presidential election. The claim, which appeared with a headline suggesting a "shocking prophecy," gained traction through news feeds and was accompanied by a video clip where the cleric described candidates using terms like "the jackal" and referenced a candidate whose name appears in the Bible.

However, a fact-check by PREMIUM TIMES has determined that the video footage is not recent and predates Nigeria's 2023 presidential election. The video was publicly available before the February 25, 2023, election.

An archived YouTube broadcast titled "What Pastor Chris Said about the major candidates of the 2023 Nigerian Presidential Election," published on February 20, 2023, by Mediablast Network, contains the exact same remarks now being presented as a prophecy for the 2027 cycle. In this recording, Oyakhilome discusses candidates using descriptive phrases, such as "The jackal is cut off," and describes a third candidate as "afraid of winning," advising prayers for him, and noting the candidate's name is in the Bible.

These remarks were made in the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election, which featured major candidates like Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi. While Oyakhilome did not explicitly name any candidate in the reviewed portion of the sermon, many viewers and commentators at the time interpreted his descriptions as references to prominent contenders in the 2023 race. The sermon was delivered during a period of intense political discussion surrounding the 2023 election.