Pastor Tunde Bakare, the respected founder of Citadel Global Community Church, has spoken publicly to address speculation regarding an alleged succession arrangement with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Historically, Bakare and Buhari shared a political partnership that saw Bakare serve as Buhari’s vice-presidential candidate during the 2011 elections under the Congress for Progressive Change banner. That bid was unsuccessful, but their political association remained a reference point, particularly following Buhari’s eventual tenure as president from 2015 to 2023, which followed his earlier time as Nigeria’s military leader in the 1980s.
Despite previous signals—including Bakare’s 2019 statement expressing his ambition to become Nigeria’s 16th president and his claim of building an international political coalition—Bakare clarified there was never a formal pact for Buhari to anoint him as successor. He made this assertion during a Monday interview, emphasizing, “There was no written pact between us. He is late. I will never say anything unfair about him. He did his best.”
Bakare recounted an evening ahead of the All Progressives Congress 2022 presidential primary when Buhari gathered all aspirants together, stating, “I have allowed the governors to choose who will succeed them or to go for a second term if they are going for a second term. I am asking you today to allow me to also freely choose the person I desire to succeed me.” The gathering included notable figures such as Yemi Osinbajo, Mohammed Badaru, and Ogbonnaya Onu.
Bakare, who contested for the APC presidential ticket in 2022 and lost, insisted that Buhari treated every contender equitably throughout the process.
Okay.ng reports that Buhari passed away at the age of 82 in a London clinic on Sunday, an announcement that has spurred eulogies and tributes both nationwide and across the globe.
