Buhari handing over to corrupt man; Tinubu not my president: Tunde Bakare

Mr Tinubu was on March 1 declared winner of the February 25th presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and would be sworn in on May 29.

Ahmed Oluwasanjo • May 28, 2023

Tunde Bakare and Bola Tinubu

Tunde Bakare, senior pastor of Citadel Global Community Church and ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, says the president will be handing over power to a corrupt president-elect Bola Tinubu, who he will never call his president.

“Last Wednesday, I was at the Glass House where he (Buhari) has been restricted now because the main house is being renovated. 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.

“At any public lecture anywhere, before this mess is cleared off, I will address Asiwaju (Tinubu) as a President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria but I will never call him my president,” Mr Bakare said.

The fiery cleric, who contested the All Progressives Congress primary against Mr Tinubu and was defeated, disclosed this on Saturday in a Zoom programme organised by his support group, PTB4Nigeria in Diaspora.

Mr Tinubu was on March 1 declared winner of the February 25th presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and would be sworn in on May 29.

However, his victory has generated much controversy as opposition parties are challenging it before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).

Bayo Onanuga, spokesperson for Mr Tinubu, did not immediately respond to calls seeking comments on Mr Bakare’s statement. A WhatsApp message sent to him was delivered, read but not replied.

The former Lagos governor has been embroiled in several scandals ranging from his involvement in cocaine trafficking that saw him forfeit some monies to the U.S. government in the 90s, to his recent Guinean diplomatic passport issue unraveled by independent journalist, David Hundeyin.

In the run up to Mr Tinubu’s inauguration on May 29, the Presidential Transition Council (PTC) has continued to beg Nigerians to support the incoming president.

“Presidential Transition Council (PTC) – Let’s maintain Unity as one people and one nation. Let’s support the new administration and build a Nigeria that we can all be proud of,” the PTC begged Nigerians in a text message.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.