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 people and abandon them after elections.

Ayodele gave the warning in a video uploaded on Monday on TikTok while advising Nigerians, particularly young people, not to allow politicians to manipulate them into violence during elections.

He said politicians across party lines were friends despite the intense 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 rivalry surrounding elections, the cleric said supporters who sacrificed themselves for politicians would ultimately be left to bear the consequences.

“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 also urged Nigerians not to fight over political figures who, according to him, would eventually reconcile among themselves after elections.

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

He similarly warned supporters against allowing political differences 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 further questioned whether politicians would expose their own children or families 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 entering politics to be cautious and avoid blindly praising or defending politicians at the expense of their own lives.

“You are just praising them. Can they send their children to war on any of their families?”

Ayodele said politicians often prioritise people within their own networks when sharing opportunities, urging Nigerians to avoid becoming casualties of political contests. (PUNCH)