Primate Elijah Ayodele, leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has warned Nigerians against risking their lives or engaging in violence for politicians, saying political actors often use supporters during elections and abandon them afterwards.
Ayodele issued the warning in a video posted on TikTok on Monday, urging Nigerians, particularly young people, not to allow politicians to manipulate them into violence during elections.
The cleric argued that politicians across party lines often maintain cordial relationships despite the fierce rivalry among their supporters.
“Nigerians especially, don’t die for politicians. Tinubu and Atiku, they are friends. You only fight and fight and fight and fight and kill yourself.”
Reacting to the violence and political tensions that often accompany elections, Ayodele said supporters who put themselves in danger for politicians would ultimately be left to face the consequences alone.
“Don’t kill yourself. Election is coming soon. Don’t let them use you because of N1m or N500,000 they will give you. If you lose, they shoot your leg or they kidnap you or they do anything, it’s your headache.”
He also urged Nigerians not to fight over political figures who, according to him, would eventually reconcile after elections.
“You lost, your family lost. Adeleke, Oyetola, they will greet themselves. They will do padi padi thing.”
Ayodele further warned political supporters against allowing differences in political allegiance to turn them against one another.
“Stop fighting or die because of these politicians. Politicians, they are use and dump. They are ungrateful, they are ingrate.”
The cleric extended his criticism to religious leaders, saying politicians could also exploit pastors for political purposes before abandoning them.
“They will only use you and dump you. They will use people like us too, pastors, and they will dump us. That is not a problem.”
Ayodele questioned whether politicians would expose their own children or relatives to the same dangers they encourage supporters to face.
“Can they send their children to war on any of their families? And yet they will not help you.”
He urged young Nigerians who want to participate in politics to exercise caution and avoid blindly defending or praising politicians at the expense of their safety.
“You are just praising them. Can they send their children to war on any of their families?”
Ayodele maintained that politicians often prioritise members of their own networks when opportunities arise, urging Nigerians not to become casualties of political rivalry.