Pastor Tunde Bakare, Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church (formerly known as Latter Rain Assembly), needs no formal introduction. His name draws a steely glare in politics as well as in the Pentecostal church. By every account, he is a fiery preacher, sometimes a divisive and controversial figure. He is like an apple on a tree. He wears his heart on his sleeve. Nothing is hidden. He is not afraid to speak his mind. You know where he stands on any issue of public interest. Sometimes, he uses the pulpit to make prophesies, very often controversial ones. How many of such prophesies have come to pass are not clear. He possibly enjoys the attention and ‘fame’ that come with being controversial. Two examples may be necessary to recall here. In 2018 and January last year, Pastor Bakare prophesied that he would be Nigeria’s President after Muhammadu Buhari. This was contained in what he called the unveiling of “NUMBER 16”. In his words, “I will succeed President Buhari and nothing can change that”. You see, “Number 16” holds profound significance to Pastor Bakare. He once told his congregation that the staircase in his father’s house had 16 flats, and one of the books he authored in 1993 also have 16 chapters.
But the truth is that in Judaism, the figure 16 represents the letter ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-heh. In the Scriptures, the word is used when discussing God’s relationship with humanity and his loving kindness and mercy. In short, they symbolise two hearts joined together, representing deep spiritual connection to God. And Bakare believes, he represents God’s spoken kindness that anything he touches succeeds. Maybe, that propelled him to go purchase the APC presidential nomination form at a hefty N100 million, non-refundable fee. For what is no longer news, the ‘Man of God’ scored zero votes when the result was announced. And what happened to the prophesies? You ask him.
Perhaps pastor Bakare’s most disturbing prophesy was the one he made in 1999. It was at the heat of the presidential campaigns. It concerned Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then one of the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Bakare as fiery as ever, said OBJ represented King Agag whose head was chopped off by Prophet Samuel to punish him for his offence of “bereaving women and their children with the sword”. By that, Bakare was insinuating that Obasanjo would never be sworn in as President of Nigeria. Obasanjo was said to have been rattled, and as a result, had to raise some ‘prayer warriors’ to cancel Bakare’s prophesy. The rest, they say, is now history. Obasanjo won the 1999 Presidential election in a landslide. He’s still alive today. Nonetheless, both men had since moved on. Who says our politics is not a fun to follow?
But you cannot silence Pastor Bakare from speaking his mind. Sometimes, we lose perspective on the moment, and rather than look closely at the heart of the messenger’s message, we dwell at length at his past failures. This has become the occupational disease of our politicians because these days, it’s not unusual for political leaders in our country to buy opposition research about their rivals. That’s exactly what APC and PDP are doing right now, diverting national attention from the challenges confronting the country. That, in my view, is where pastor Bakare’s veiled dig at the APC Presidential candidate becomes an interesting subject of public discourse.
In his ‘state of the Nation’ address in his church recently, pastor Bakare advised Nigerians to shun those promoting “Emi lokan”(It’s my turn), a self entitlement term attributed to Tinubu. Bakare also cautioned that no good politician seeking the votes of the people should evade public debates. It was a jab at Tinubu’s recent outing at Chatham House, London, in which, rather than answer questions specifically directed to him, Tinubu stonewalled and passed on such questions to his team members. Not unexpected, Tinubu’s spokespersons, always struggling to undo one another for relevance and post-election gratification, descended on Bakare. They called him a “paperweight”, a “neophyte” politician who scored zero votes at the APC presidential primaries. They said Bakare’s utterances should not be given serious thoughts. Trust Bakare. He’s not afraid to walk in the dark. Wallop for wallop, soundbite for soundbite, Bakare responded forcefully. According to him, ‘why are they giving any thoughts to what I said’? “Maybe, their alleged paperweight is too heavy for them to carry. Can someone tell these people that scoring zero in a primary election with one’s true identity and integrity intact as well as having original credentials from well known schools within and outside this nation is a veritable badge of honour, absolutely legit and unquestionable”. Do you need any reminding of the issues Bakare was referring to? Love or hate him, the central message of Bakare’s address is unmistakably clear: Nigerians be wise in the elections, especially the presidential poll, don’t vote for someone who feels the presidency is his entitlement, a prize to be won, rather than a duty to be done. Undoubtedly, it’s time to take back Nigeria.
The country is not just maimed, it’s completely broken. Did you see the tears on the streets of Kafanchan, Southern Kaduna, last Saturday? There was a woman with her little baby holding on to Obi’s convoy. She didn’t want him to leave the town. She symbolises the pain and agony that have descended on our land. Many of our citizens no longer sure where their next meal is going to come from. Insecurity, hunger and extreme poverty have squeezed people to a corner. As Oxfam International report released last week showed, inequality in Nigeria has widened to unacceptable level. The report says that the wealth of just three billionaires is more than the income of over 183 million Nigerians combined. Everywhere you look, pessimism has supplanted hope. That has been the heart of the message of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi. That is where Tinubu’s spokespersons got it all wrong with their attack on Pastor Bakare.
Our democracy, indeed needs people like Bakare on the outside to keep it somewhat honest, but it also needs people on the inside to make it work. These are people who will play the game for the sake of getting good things done. Unfortunately, for many years now, our politics has been hijacked by people whose interests is only for their own selfish advancement. Nothing more The problem with such people is that, to borrow the words of American presidential historian Robert Allan Caro, ‘such people don’t know what to do with the power they have so expertly accumulated, and without a vision beyond their own advancement, they are almost paralyzed once the goal has been achieved’. Truth be told, since the campaigns began, there’s something about Tinubu that draws attention. The stories. Everyone seems to know someone who has a tale to tell about Tinubu, whether true or speculation.
Without been unkind to him and his aspiration, many believe that Tinubu is not seeking the office of the President to make better things happen for Nigerians and Nigeria. Hasn’t he told us from the very moment he declared his intention to contest that he had spent years as a kingmaker, and now, he wants to be the king? As I argued in this column on June 7, 2022, in all his political life, this man has done some wonderful things as well as some terrible things. Often, he sees himself in the image of the daring cowboy, cast in the mold of a lion. It’s in his definition of manly courage that made his swanky residence in Ikoyi to be called “the lion of Bourdillon”. It’s not for nothing.
Now, consider politics as a classic boxing match. It offers useful lessons for seizing opportunities during a downturn. As Donald Sull, a Professor of Strategy and International Management and author of “The Upside of Turbulence” noted, ‘true champions have the capacity of both agility and absorption’. These days, stiff competition feels much like a boxing arena, where punches come from different directions, strategies change blow by blow, and another challenger is always waiting to take you on. We have seen that much in this campaign. But we should not allow this mud throwing among the main contenders to crowd out the real issues facing the country. That is why forthcoming elections have become so consequential. We should not miss the opportunity that our votes in the elections have afforded us to get things right in Nigeria.
