President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Wednesday received Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), in a private meeting held in Lagos.
The visit was disclosed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, via a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he shared photos from the meeting.
Bakare, a former presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 elections, said the discussion with the President focused on national development and the future of Nigeria.
“It’s not just about personal reservations. It’s about how the country can move forward,” Bakare said after the meeting.
“My vision is to see a Nigeria that works in my lifetime. I’ve shared my thoughts with Mr President, and now it is up to him to act as he sees fit. I’m glad he received me warmly, and I trust that God will help our nation.”
The visit comes weeks after Bakare publicly criticized the Tinubu administration, accusing the President of steering the country in the wrong direction.
In an April sermon, the outspoken pastor decried the erosion of democratic checks and balances, particularly the perceived weakening of legislative oversight under Tinubu’s leadership. He also criticized the close relationship between the executive and legislative arms, warning of what he called “state capture.”
“To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under whose brand of politics the institution of legislative oversight is collapsing, I say: Nigeria is too delicate for this kind of politics,” Bakare said.
“If this state capture was what you meant by emi lo kan, it is an anti-climax that will only prove counterproductive in the end. Mr. President, stop playing God.”
He further alleged that under Tinubu’s influence, the National Assembly had become “a haven for legislative rascality.”
The recent meeting between both men, despite Bakare’s earlier criticism, suggests an ongoing dialogue on national issues and may signal a willingness to engage constructively on Nigeria’s future.
