Pastor Tunde Bakare, presiding overseer of the Global Community Citadel Church (formerly Latter Rain Assembly), has lauded President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting a state burial to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He also paid tribute to the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, describing his role in Nigeria’s political development as pivotal.
Speaking during his “State of the Nation” address at his church auditorium on Sunday, Bakare reflected on the significance of both Buhari and the Awujale passing on the same day, calling it a moment of great national symbolism.
He highlighted Oba Adetona’s instrumental role in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite his non-partisan status.
“Without Awujale’s pivotal intervention, APC would not have emerged as a political party,” Bakare said.
“Kabiyesi convened a key meeting at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island and brokered the agreement that led to the formation of the APC. Even at that, Kabiyesi was non-partisan, supporting any course he thought would facilitate good governance, strengthen the national interest, foster peace and further the course of building a united Nigeria.
“He remained, to the very end, an elder statesman, a patriot, a mentor, a loyal friend, and a rare gift to this nation.”
Bakare recalled that it was Awujale he approached to help convince Tinubu to lead the merger efforts that resulted in the APC’s creation and Buhari’s eventual victory in the 2015 presidential election.
The cleric, who ran as Buhari’s vice-presidential candidate in 2011 under the now-defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), praised Buhari’s character and inclusive leadership style.
He said, “We must awake to the handwriting on the wall. President Muhammadu Buhari and Oba Sikiru Adetona left a legacy that reads loud and clear – The giant of Africa cannot stand on one leg.
“We cannot build Nigeria as a one-party state. The intersection of these two men played a critical role in the emergence of a virile political landscape with a strong enough opposition party to challenge the then-ruling party.
“We can only build on their legacy by ensuring that both the ruling party and the opposition are strong enough to guarantee good governance in the interest of the ordinary Nigerian.
“Their legacy also reminds us that we cannot stabilise our beloved nation on divisiveness. We cannot build a truly virile nation unless we build an inclusive nation.”
“Where we have been divided as a nation, let us remember the religious tolerance of a man who, for years, was wrongly labelled with the toga of religious fundamentalism when indeed, he was one of the most tolerant and fair-minded Muslims to walk this earth, twice opening the doorway for Christian leaders, Pastors to be specific, in politics and governance.”
Bakare further praised Buhari for his role in institutional reforms that empowered younger Nigerians and people with disabilities.
He said, “Where we have, in the past, polarised the political system and undermined political opponents, let us remember the virtues of a man who would rather present his case to the electorate than descend into the politics of mudslinging.”
He noted that Buhari “left a legacy of an Electoral Act that opened the doorway for Nigerian youth and persons with disabilities, positioning them to shatter glass ceilings through the Not Too Young To Run Act and the Disability Act.”
