Founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said President Bola Tinubu has tried his best in governing Nigeria but warned that the President’s best may still not be sufficient to meet the country’s needs.
Bakare said Nigerians ultimately have the right to decide through the ballot whether Tinubu should remain in office or be replaced by another leader.
Speaking at Envoy Nation in Leicester on Sunday, the cleric said citizens were entitled either to affirm their leaders or change them based on their assessment of their performance.
“Nigerians have the right to change their leaders. They also have the right to affirm their leaders.
“It is up to them to decide what they want. As you lay your bed, so you will lie on it. Sometimes, the devil you know is better than the angel that is not tested yet. But I leave it to every man to do what he pleases,” Bakare said.
Bakare, who contested the All Progressives Congress presidential primary against Tinubu and other aspirants in June 2022, acknowledged the President’s political experience but questioned whether experience alone was enough to solve Nigeria’s longstanding problems.
Asked whether the country would have been better governed had he emerged as the APC presidential candidate and subsequently won the 2023 election, Bakare said he would be cautious about making such a claim.
“I would be very careful with my words. I do not think Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is an uninitiated politician. He has been tried and tested. He is a man of experience,” he said.
However, Bakare maintained that Nigeria now needed leaders capable of getting critical decisions right from the outset rather than relying solely on years of political experience.
“The difference that I emphasised in that campaign, especially at the Eagle Square primary of the APC, is that we do not need men of experience anymore. Their experience has brought us into the disaster that we have found ourselves.
“You need geniuses who will do the first thing the first time and they will get it correct,” he said.
Bakare illustrated his argument with the biblical account of Joshua commanding the sun and moon to stand still, saying effective leadership sometimes required people capable of taking unprecedented but correct decisions.
The cleric also urged Tinubu to surround himself with people willing to tell him the truth rather than advisers who would merely agree with him.
He cautioned Nigerians against dismissing every policy introduced by the administration, saying some of Tinubu’s reforms were necessary even if their implementation and outcomes had not met public expectations.
Bakare specifically mentioned the removal of petrol subsidy and the devaluation of the naira among policies that should not simply be dismissed because of the difficulties associated with them.
“So, I won’t say if I had been the president it would not be like this because you don’t even know what awaits you until you get there,” he said.
“For me, Tinubu has tried his best. His best may not be good enough for Nigeria but that does not give right to any person to just rubbish what he did like the subsidy removal, naira devaluation and other reforms. There are some things he did alright and I hope he learns. If God feels his time is up, He will bring other people to power.”
Bakare therefore maintained that the final judgment on Tinubu’s performance and whether he should continue in office belonged to Nigerians.
He also recalled his involvement in political consultations that preceded the formation of the APC.
According to him, he facilitated a meeting involving Tinubu, the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona; the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu; and former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Bakare said he later withdrew from active politics to focus on building Citadel Global Community Church, although he remains a card-carrying member of the APC.
He added that he had informed Tinubu that he remained willing to contribute to Nigeria’s development through private consultations.
Bakare maintained that while some of the President’s decisions deserved acknowledgement, Nigerians retained the right to determine whether those efforts were sufficient to justify another term in office.
Post Title: “Nigerians Have The Right To Change Or Affirm Their Leaders” — Bakare Says Tinubu’s Best May Not Be Enough By Naijaonpoint.