Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, has issued a stern warning to Nigerian youths against allowing themselves to be used as political thugs ahead of the 2027 general elections, declaring that politicians who deploy young people to perpetrate violence would never send their own children to carry out such acts. Speaking on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, in Abuja at the opening of the 15th Anglican Chancellors, Registrars and Legal Officers Conference (ACRLOC), the respected cleric delivered a scathing indictment of the political elite and the weaponisation of poverty and hunger to recruit vulnerable young Nigerians for electoral violence.
Ndukuba, who is the Archbishop Metropolitan and Primate of All Nigeria, urged politicians to run issue-based campaigns rather than resorting to violence or inflammatory tactics, stressing that politics "is not a do-or-die affair." He appealed to Nigerian youths to shun thuggery and violence and resist being used as political thugs or proxy foot soldiers in exchange for money and drugs. The Primate observed that while many politicians send their biological children to study abroad, they give drugs and money to underprivileged youths to perpetrate violence during elections. "None of these politicians send their own children to carry out violence. Their children are in London, Europe and America. What they will not send their own children to do they are sending our young people to do. Our youths must shun every thuggery and act of violence," the cleric declared.
The Primate's intervention comes as the country prepares for the official commencement of political campaigns on August 19, 2026, and amid growing concerns over the potential for violence and voter suppression in the 2027 elections. Ndukuba stressed that the forthcoming general election is very critical to the future of democracy in Nigeria and cautioned against any action that would undermine the political process. He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to be transparent and neutral in the discharge of their duties, charging them not to undermine the will of the people. He also appealed to politicians to campaign on issues rather than violence, saying: "This is not a do-or-die affair. Let us play politics with a human face. Let it be campaigns of issues so that when you are elected we will know what to hold you responsible for."
Expressing deep concern over the historical retreat of Christians from governance, Ndukuba urged Christians across the country to shun political apathy, actively register with political parties, and take an assertive role in shaping Nigeria's democratic future. "Every aspect of our life is political. Politics is the means by which society is ruled, laws are made, and public resources are managed. We must sensitize every citizen to be politically conscious and engaged," he said. The Primate warned that sitting on the sidelines directly impacts the quality of leadership and policy in the country. He also warned against godfatherism and the influence of money in politics, stating: "If there is no justice in the choice of party leaders internally, there is no way we can suddenly wake up and have a credible election. A situation in which there is always a godfather… or politics of the money bags cannot help our nation."
Ndukuba expressed optimism that state policing and active citizen engagement would make the upcoming election cycles pivotal in shaping a better future for Nigeria. He said that poverty and hunger had made the hearts and souls of Nigerians easily purchasable, leading to widespread vote-buying and violence. "This year and the next will be pivotal in deciding what this nation becomes. Let citizens arise and do the needful. Poverty and hunger have made the hearts and souls of our people easily purchasable, leading to widespread vote-buying and violence. By the grace of God, it shall be well with Nigeria," he declared.
The conference, which runs from August 3 to August 6, 2026, under the theme "As For Me and My Household, We Will Serve the Lord," brought together chancellors, registrars, and legal officers of the Anglican Communion. In her address, the Registrar of the Church of Nigeria, Mrs. Kehinde Ajoni, urged church legal officers to uphold integrity and accountability in their service, saying: "Exclusive loyalty to God is non-negotiable. We cannot employ deceptive secular legal loopholes, frivolous stall tactics, or intimidation to cover up internal misconduct." She charged legal officers across all dioceses to act as the lone voice of moral conscience during internal dispute resolutions.
Ndukuba's warning comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with massive youth unemployment, soaring poverty, and widespread hunger, conditions that have made young people particularly vulnerable to manipulation by political actors. The Primate's message strips away the political veneer, exposing thuggery for what it is: the exploitation of the poor by the powerful. By addressing both the vulnerable youth who are easily weaponized by poverty and the political parties responsible for producing compromised candidates, the Anglican leader is demanding a total recalibration of how political power is pursued in Africa's largest democracy. As the 2027 elections draw nearer, his words serve as a powerful reminder that the integrity of the electoral process depends not only on the actions of INEC and security agencies but also on the willingness of citizens—particularly the youth—to reject violence and demand accountability from those who seek to lead them.
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