A non-partisan group, the 36 Political Elevation Group, 36 PEG, has cautioned Primate Elijah Ayodele against what it described as weaponizing prophecy for partisan politics.
The group was reacting to a trending video credited to Primate Ayodele in which he spoke about hunger and what he termed “APC rice.”
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In a press statement signed by its Convener, Prince Dan Olaitan Dada, President of the Sanity Brand Ecosystem, SBES, the group said the culture of sharing rice, wrappers, cash and food items during electioneering is not exclusive to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
According to 36 PEG, the practice is indulged in by all major political parties in Nigeria, including APC, PDP, Labour Party and APGA.
“To single out ‘APC rice’ as if it is the only source of moral corruption in our politics is mischievous, selective and intellectually dishonest. If sharing rice is evil, then all parties are guilty,” the statement said.
The group said rather than promoting fear about hunger, clerics should use the pulpit to discourage Nigerians from allowing themselves to be bought by politicians irrespective of party affiliation.
36 PEG stated that God is not a member of any political party, adding that prophecy loses its potency when it is weaponized for political sympathy.
“What Nigerians should take at this time are not bags of rice, but their civic rights – the right to demand good governance, accountability and service delivery, and the right to reject stomach infrastructure politics and vote-buying in all its forms,” the group said.
It called on Primate Ayodele and other clerics to use their platforms to promote value-based politics, political education and national unity.
The group added that Nigeria’s challenges would be addressed through collective responsibility, good governance and citizen awakening, not rice politics.
