LAGOS, Nigeria — Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, has stated unequivocally that he will never refer to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, as his president, alleging malpractices in the recent 2023 elections.
In a webinar on Saturday, May 27, 2023, Pastor Bakare critiqued the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for what he called “a mess” of the electoral process.
The cleric made his stance known during a Q&A session after a speech given at the virtual event ‘Building the New Nigeria: The Role of the Diaspora,’ organized by the PTB4Nigeria In Diaspora Group.
Bakare began the event by expressing his disappointment with the 2023 elections, deeming them “below acceptable standards.”
When asked if he would accept a position in the new government as Minister of Diaspora Engagements, he responded with an anecdote about his recent conversation with outgoing President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
He recounted, “Last Wednesday, I was at the Glass House… I said I have done that for you. I want you to know that, because of the circumstances of your flying into power on the wings of integrity and incorruptibility, but you’re now passing onto someone who does not have that value.”
Pastor Bakare then declared his stand on President-elect Tinubu: “I will address Asiwaju (Tinubu) as a President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but I will never call him my president.”
Although he ran in the All Progressives Congress presidential primary in June 2022, Pastor Bakare received no votes.
However, he wore his defeat as a badge of honor. He explained, “I participated in the primary, and there were hundreds (of persons) who participated only by stepping down… We spoke truth to power.”
On the prospect of a ministerial role, Bakare said, “But I am not desperate to be a minister, not at all. I was offered before but I turned it down.
My life is not just to take photographs with the president and shake hands.” However, he also noted that if his acceptance would benefit even a single citizen, he might consider the position.
As Bola Tinubu prepares to be sworn in as President on Monday, May 29, 2023, this statement from a prominent pastor and politician adds a note of controversy to the transition.
After receiving the transition report from Buhari, Tinubu promised to address the myriad of challenges confronting the country, but it appears that some, like Pastor Bakare, remain unconvinced.
