The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Dr. Tunde Bakare, has revealed that he is facing mounting pressure from political actors to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
However, the outspoken cleric has firmly ruled out the possibility.
Speaking at the inaugural edition of the Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series, themed “Nigeria at 65: Historical Reflections, Futuristic Projection,” held in Oregun, Lagos on Saturday, Bakare disclosed that several prominent figures, including a former governor and minister from the South-West, have approached him about aligning with the ADC.
“There has been a lot of pressure on me from who is who to join ADC. They come to my home. Even while I was abroad, the hierarchy of that party kept calling, saying they needed my voice,” he said.
He also noted that a younger political associate, someone who held key offices under the All Progressives Congress (APC), had encouraged him to support the ADC.
Despite these overtures, Bakare was unequivocal in his response:
“I am not going to take part in ADC. The last time I knew about ADC was about a plane that crashed. I wish them well because we need a robust opposition. But you don’t birth a child called APC and then try to kill it yourself. We are not going to have another Awolowo–Akintola crisis in the South-West,” he said.
Bakare, who was involved in the founding of the APC, also expressed his belief that the presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu was ordained.
“If God wants to remove ‘emilokan,’ He knows how to do it. You can’t get the kind of thing Tinubu has brought without God’s support,” he asserted.
Also speaking at the event, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, addressed Nigeria’s enduring challenges. According to him, corruption and tribalism remain the country’s most damaging issues.
“Corruption is the father or mother of tribalism. If the money being stolen was available for development, Nigeria would be far better,” Osuntokun said.
He emphasized that the ethnic identity of a president should not be the focus—results and good governance should matter more.
“The fact that Tinubu is president does not automatically improve the life of an average Yoruba man, just as an Igbo presidency will not improve the life of the ordinary Igbo man if there is no development,” he added.
