ADC leaders are pressuring me to Join, but I eon’t – Tunde Bakare

The founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Dr. Tunde Bakare, has revealed that several political stakeholders have been pressuring him to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Speaking on Saturday during the maiden edition of the Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series themed “Nigeria at 65: Historical Reflections, Futuristic Projection” in Oregun, Lagos, Bakare disclosed that prominent figures, including a former governor and a former minister from the South-West, had approached him to align with the party.

However, the cleric made it clear that he has no intention of joining the ADC despite the mounting persuasion, according to a report by SundayPUNCH.

“There has been a lot of pressure on me from who is who to join ADC. They come to my home,” he said.

“Even while I was abroad, the hierarchy of that party kept calling, saying they needed my voice.”

He expressed goodwill toward the ADC, noting the importance of a strong opposition in Nigeria’s political landscape, but added that it would be unwise to undermine the party one helped create.

He added that one of his younger political associates, who benefited from holding key offices in the APC, urged him to lend his influence to the ADC.

But the cleric said, “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 added.

The cleric, who was instrumental in the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also maintained that the emergence of President Bola Tinubu was guided by divine providence.

“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,” he said.