Primate Elijah Ayodele, the spiritual leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has issued a stern warning to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, calling for urgent action to bridge Nigeria’s deepening divides or risk a national revolution. In a statement released by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, the cleric painted a grim picture of a nation fractured by political, religious, and tribal disunity, urging the government to act swiftly to avert a crisis.
Ayodele described Nigeria as a country plagued by a lack of cohesion across nearly every sector, attributing the pervasive discord to longstanding ethnic tensions and governance failures. “The government needs to urgently address the factors causing disunity in Nigeria. We are a country divided along geopolitical, religious, and tribal lines. Tribes dislike one another, and this is a serious threat to our collective peace,” he cautioned.
The cleric pointed to the Super Eagles’ recent poor performances as a symbol of fading national pride, noting that even football—once a unifying force—has lost its ability to rally Nigerians. “Nigeria needs serious prayers. The government must take ethnic tensions seriously, or else an ethnic crisis will erupt. Religion cannot even unite us because of the conflicts it generates. Football used to be a source of unity, but even our Super Eagles are failing to deliver,” he lamented.
Proposing a radical solution, Ayodele called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s political system through a referendum. He argued that superficial changes, such as electing a president from a specific ethnic group, would not resolve the root causes of disunity. “The government needs to collapse the current system and initiate a complete restructuring. Even if an Igbo leader assumes power, unity will remain elusive unless these underlying problems are tackled. Disunity is pervasive, affecting not just the political space but also civil service and the presidency itself,” he said.
Ayodele linked the country’s high rate of violence, political marginalization, and skewed electoral processes to this “incurable disease” of disunity. “This is why we see killings every day, why votes are always skewed, and why people struggle to find common ground,” he explained. He warned that without a spiritual approach to governance, Nigeria could face a full-scale uprising. “If we do not address this spiritually, it will lead to a national revolution. The economy, governance, and even morality in Nigeria are suffering as a result of this disunity. There is no love in this country, not even among those working closely with President Tinubu.”
The cleric’s remarks come amid growing discontent over economic hardships and security challenges under Tinubu’s administration, amplifying calls for systemic change. As Nigeria grapples with these multifaceted crises, Ayodele’s warning underscores the urgent need for leadership to confront the nation’s fractured identity head-on. Whether the government heeds his counsel remains to be seen, but the specter of unrest looms large if unity continues to elude the country.
