I’m Facing Immense Pressure to Join ADC, Tunde Bakare Opens Up
- Dr. Tunde Bakare says top political figures are urging him to join the African Democratic Congress but insists he will not leave the APC he helped form
- The cleric says joining another party would be a betrayal of his political principles and recalls his role in the formation of the APC
- Former Ambassador Akinjide Osuntokun warns that corruption and tribalism remain Nigeria’s biggest obstacles to progress despite leadership changes
Dr. Tunde Bakare, founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, has revealed that he is facing mounting pressure from political figures urging him to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Speaking during the maiden edition of the Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series in Lagos, themed ‘Nigeria at 65: Historical Reflections, Futuristic Projection’, Bakare confirmed that some of the appeals came from influential leaders across the South-West.
Source: Twitter
Bakare rejects ADC pressure, backs APC stability
According to the cleric, several political stakeholders, including a former governor and minister, have approached him to align with the ADC, citing his political experience and influence.
“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.
Bakare, who was once a vice-presidential candidate and a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), however, rejected the idea of joining the ADC.
He explained that his political commitment remains with the party he helped build and that joining another platform would contradict his principles.
“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 stated.
Source: Twitter
Cleric calls for integrity in Nigerian politics
The pastor also disclosed that one of his younger political associates, who had benefited from holding key positions under the APC, tried to persuade him to lend his voice to the ADC cause. Despite the pressure, Bakare insisted he would not be part of what he described as a political misadventure.
He further defended the presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the emergence of the Nigerian leader was guided by divine will.
“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,” Bakare said.
At the same event, former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, identified corruption and tribalism as Nigeria’s most dangerous afflictions.
He noted that the ethnicity of a president matters little if governance fails to improve lives.
“The two problems our country faces are corruption and tribalism. If there is a way of eradicating these two evils, we will be alright. Corruption is the father or mother of tribalism,” he said, adding that national progress depends on development, not identity politics.
ADC welcomes high-profile defections
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kwara state has confirmed that former governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and ex-federal lawmaker, Honourable Abubakar Amuda Kannike, have officially joined the party and are now playing significant leadership roles.
This was disclosed by a party chieftain, Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, during a Yoruba-language interview monitored by Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
