Politicians Use and Dump Pastors Too — Ayodele Warns Nigerians to Be Careful

• Pastor Ayodele has warned Nigerians against fighting or risking their lives for politicians, saying political actors often use their supporters and abandon them after elections.
• The cleric said politicians across party lines could remain friends despite the fierce rivalry among their supporters, urging Nigerians not to sacrifice their lives for political interests

Primate Elijah Ayodele, the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has warned Nigerians against fighting or risking their lives for politicians, saying political actors often use their supporters and abandon them after elections.

Ayodele gave the warning in a video shared on TikTok on Monday while advising Nigerians, particularly young people, to resist attempts by politicians to manipulate them into violence during elections.

The cleric said politicians across party lines could remain friends despite the fierce rivalry among their supporters, urging Nigerians not to sacrifice their lives for political interests.

“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,” he said.

Reacting to the violence and intense political rivalry that often accompany elections, Ayodele warned supporters against allowing themselves to become casualties of political contests.

He said some politicians could offer money to supporters to participate in risky activities but would not be there to bear the consequences if anything went wrong.

“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,” Ayodele said.

The cleric also urged Nigerians not to fight over politicians 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,” he said.

Ayodele further warned political supporters against allowing differences in party affiliations to destroy relationships or turn Nigerians against one another.

“Stop fighting or die because of these politicians. Politicians, they are use and dump. They are ungrateful, they are ingrate,” he said.

He extended his criticism to religious leaders, noting that politicians could also use pastors and other influential figures for their political interests 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 said.

The cleric questioned whether politicians would expose their own children or family members to the same dangers they sometimes encourage their supporters to face during political contests.

“Can they send their children to war on any of their families? And yet they will not help you,” he asked.

Ayodele advised young Nigerians who want to participate in politics to be cautious 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?” he said.

He added that politicians often prioritise members of their own networks when opportunities and benefits are distributed, urging Nigerians to avoid becoming victims of political struggles that may ultimately offer them little or no reward.