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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Culture & Society

Politicians also use and dump pastors – Primate Ayodele

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Primate Elijah Ayodele warned Nigerians against dying for politicians, stating that political actors often use and abandon their supporters after elections.
  • He advised young people not to be manipulated into violence, emphasizing that politicians reconcile after elections while supporters suffer consequences.
  • Ayodele also criticized religious leaders, noting that politicians exploit pastors for political gain before discarding them.

Primate Elijah Ayodele, the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has issued a stark warning to Nigerians, urging them not to risk their lives for politicians who he claims "use and dump" 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.

— Primate Elijah AyodeleWarning Nigerians against fighting for politicians.

In a video shared on TikTok, Ayodele advised Nigerians, particularly the youth, against being drawn into political violence. He highlighted that despite the intense rivalry among supporters, politicians often maintain friendships across party lines. "Tinubu and Atiku, they are friends. You only fight and fight and fight and fight and kill yourself," he stated, urging people not to die for politicians.

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.

— Primate Elijah AyodeleAdvising against being used by politicians for financial gain during elections.

Ayodele stressed that supporters who sacrifice themselves during elections often bear the brunt of 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 said. He pointed out that figures like Adeleke and Oyetola, despite their rivalry, would eventually reconcile, leaving the supporters to face the repercussions of their sacrifices.

You lost, your family lost. Adeleke, Oyetola, they will greet themselves. They will do padi padi thing.

— Primate Elijah AyodeleIllustrating how politicians reconcile after elections while supporters suffer.

The cleric also extended his criticism to religious leaders, including pastors, warning that they too could be exploited by politicians for political purposes and then discarded. "They will only use you and dump you. They will use people like us too, pastors, and they will dump us," he said. Ayodele questioned whether politicians would ever expose their own children or families to the dangers they encourage their supporters to face, emphasizing that politicians prioritize their inner circles when distributing opportunities.

Politicians, they are use and dump. They are ungrateful, they are ingrate.

— Primate Elijah AyodeleDescribing the nature of politicians.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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