Israel Ogundipe, senior pastor of the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Genesis global parish, has pledged his support for Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 presidential election. 

Mr Ogundipe, who was jailed for multimillion-naira fraud in November 2020, is the latest public personality to join the Tinubu camp on the basis of tribal affiliation.

The clergyman says he would be a bastard if he supported a candidate from another tribe. 

“I support Tinubu. You like it or not, I don’t care. You know me, I am not afraid. You know why? Because if I see another Yoruba person I will support. That is the only Yoruba person I am seeing.

“Hear me, journalists, if you want to write, write. If you want to attack me, attack me. I am not a bastard,” Mr Ogundipe said while addressing his congregation on Sunday. 

The 48-year-old preacher was convicted in November 2020 of stealing, obtaining money under false pretence, forgery, and unlawful conversion of property.

He was discovered to have fraudulently collected N14 million and £12,000 in various tranches from his victim, Oladele Williams-Oni. 

The court sentenced him to one year jail term and ordered him to refund the sum of N11 million to his accuser, Ms Williams-Oni. 

Mr Ogundipe appealed the high court judgement and also filed a bail application pending the hearing of the appeal which was granted on grounds of ill health.