The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has taken a swipe at Nigerian bishops who recently endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term, accusing them of using their religious influence to pursue personal interests.
Ayodele alleged that the clerics were not endorsing Tinubu because of genuine conviction or divine instruction, but because they expected benefits from the President and his administration.
In a statement issued on Friday by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric urged Tinubu not to be carried away by the endorsements, which he described as “fake.”
“Bishops endorsing President Tinubu are hungry and looking for what to eat. They didn’t do that endorsement because they love Tinubu but because they need some things from him,” Ayodele said.
“They just want to secure their next meal, and that is why they are singing the praises of the president. The president must exercise caution before expressing joy over the endorsement because it is totally fake.”
Ayodele further accused the bishops of invoking the name of God to advance personal interests, insisting that their actions were not based on divine direction.
“They are not doing it based on divine orders or God’s direction; there is no way God would give such direction. They are only lying on God’s name because of food; it’s such a bad thing that these bishops reduced the name of God to this level,” he said.
The cleric also questioned the loyalty of politicians who have recently thrown their weight behind Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, arguing that many of them were motivated by what they stood to gain from the administration.
According to him, some of those currently praising and endorsing Tinubu could become his fiercest critics if the President failed to meet their expectations.
“Even politicians who are singing the praises of President Tinubu and endorsing him for a second term are not doing it for the love of the president; they are all doing it for selfish interests. They are not different from these bishops,” Ayodele said.
“If President Tinubu doesn’t give them what they want, they will be the first people to turn against him and endorse another person.”
Ayodele consequently warned Tinubu against treating endorsements as a substitute for performance, saying the President’s record in office would ultimately matter more to voters than the backing of political or religious figures.
“President Tinubu must know that endorsements cannot get him anywhere near a second term if he doesn’t perform well for the people. Endorsements mean nothing; it is only his activities that can either secure or make him lose a second term in office,” he said.
He urged the President to concentrate on governance, address weaknesses within his administration and avoid becoming distracted by the growing endorsements ahead of the 2027 election.
“It would be better if he buckled up and put his house in order instead of allowing these endorsements to get into his head,” Ayodele said.
