The Serving Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has firmly dismissed speculation that his recent meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was driven by personal political ambitions or benefits.
Bakare, who contested the 2023 APC presidential primary, visited the president last week at the State House, sparking rumors about potential political alignment or appointments. However, during his Sunday sermon, the clergyman-politician addressed these claims head-on.
“Some people still think he has gone there to settle himself. In what way have I settled myself before? What they gave me, I returned. What am I looking for?” Bakare stated emphatically to his congregation.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Bakare clarified that his discussion with President Tinubu centered entirely on national development rather than personal gain.
“It’s not about just reservations. It’s about how the country will go well. My personal vision is to see a nation that works in my lifetime,” he explained.
The pastor revealed that while he had offered suggestions to the president during their meeting, the decision to implement them rested solely with Tinubu. Bakare’s comments appeared aimed at distancing himself from perceptions of political opportunism while maintaining his role as a concerned stakeholder in Nigeria’s development.
This meeting marked one of the few public interactions between the two political figures since Tinubu assumed office, coming nearly two years after they competed against each other in the APC presidential primaries.