The Street Journal recently had a chat with Pastor Tunde
Bakare,former Vice presidential candidate of CPC and
General Mohammadu Buhari’s running mate at the 2011
presidential election. Bakare who is the pastor in charge of
he Latter Rain Assembly Church was in his usual element
in the explosive interview.
Excerpts!
Your Role In Formation Of APC
You’d recall that I moved the motion of merger between
the CPC and ACN because we’ve always believed that all
these smaller parties will never be able to win a
presidential election in Nigeria…never! Except there would
be a handshake between the Southwest and Northwest,
then PDP will remain in power for ever. I’m not saying that
all those who are in PDP are devil and all those who are in
APC are saints. At a close range you’d like to thank God
that you know what you are doing. Right now as presently
constituted, whereas all we were looking for was a merger
between Northwest and Southwest. The bulk of voters are
in those groups. The whole of South- east and South- south
equals South-west in terms of number of voters. So when
you take the Southwest and Northwest together; if they
can vote for one party en-block, that’s the end of the
game.
Your Relationship With Buhari
Let me backtrack here. The first time I ever saw General
Buhari in my life was in my office. He was led by
someone-Sen. Afikuyomi who was going to run on his
platform then of ANPP as Governor of Lagos State. By the
grace of God, I taught Afikuyomi Sunday School at Yaba
Baptist Church. And when they asked him to take them to
a Christian of high moral values he brought Gen Buhari to
my office. That was the first time I saw him physically.
The second time was at the instance of Tinubu. Tinubu
sent Lai Mohammed to me. Lai Mohammed I brought from
International Centre for Reconstruction and Development
to discuss Nigeria in our Knowledge workshops concerning
issues and solutions to our problems. I was landing in
Abuja for our SNG meeting when Lai Mohammed sent me
a text saying we need to see you urgently so that I can
help persuade Gen. Buhari to run undr AC. It was AC then
ACN .
I accepted the challenge and I booked an appointment to
meet Gen. Buhari. I’m giving you this background so that
you can know that the merger was not an overnight
success. The day before we left, Jimi Agbaje, myself and
Yinka Odumakin were to go to broker the coming together
of AC and CPC with Buhari as the presidential candidate. I
asked Lai Muhammed who would be the running mate.
And he said Tinubu. I said I cannot broker a Muslim/
Muslim ticket. What would the Christian community do? Or
if they found out what would they say to me?
I’m giving you this background because of the things I’m
about to say. So I called Gen. Buhari and I said I’d not be
coming any more. And we didn’t see again. When Gen.
Buhari called me and said I’d like you to be my running
mate on January 15, 2011. Apart from calling, my
daughter was in the house with me. I called in my wife;
called Pastor Adeboye. Tinubu was the next person I called
to say this what Gen. Buhari has said. I say to Ashiwaju
Tinubu, this man called me today and said I should be his
running mate. Do me a favour. Give me a Christian from
ACN that I could take to him and that would still go to your
platform. He thanked me profusely and said my respect for
you goes to high heaven. He said I’ll get back to you. He
never did. So, I invited in Adebayo; former Governor of
Ekiti State. He was my classmate. We were in the
university together and at the Nigerian Army. But I got to
the Law school before him. We were in the same faculty.
And Niyi came to my house and I said to him…persuade
Ashiwaju. You’re a Christian. Either you or Osinbajo I’ll
take to Gem. Buhari to run with him.
Niyi said if I want him to stay alive I should not do such
thing except Ashiwaju who suggested it can’t come from
any of them. I didn’t know what to do any more. I still did
not accept. I took Elrufai, Jimi Lawal and Yinka Odumakin
to see Gen Buhari to ask him why do you want me to be
your running mate?. I’m not a politician. I’m not a member
of your party. I hold no party card. What’s your reason? He
said when he saw me matching for Nigeria with such a
large number of people within a short period, that’s why he
picked me that I could mobilize many people. Then it
means I must have some followership. You know
politicians speak in numbers.
He said number two, he was an old man, supposing he
dies in office, he wanted someone who could hold Nigeria
together so that Nigeria would not disintegrate. He said he
had checked me out. I was born into a Muslim home and I
became a Christian. So I know the two sides of religion. I
was born in the south but raised in Sokoto. I know the two
sides of the country. That was his calculation…and that he
had checked me and know that I have integrity. So we can
work together. I still did not accept. We left that place to
go to Nasir el’Rufai’s house. I still did not accept. I don’t
want to work with this man.
Obasanjo’s Scheming To Have Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala As
Buhari’s Running Mate
Nasir was in PDP then. And he said because of what we
have done with arrowhead, He said he was persuaded that
I’m a leader to follow. So he decamped from PDP to join
CPC. The night of the afternoon that I signed that vice-
presidential thing (form) was the last day that the thing
would be submitted. The night before, the three of us were
in the same hotel. Unknown to Gen Buhari and I, Gen
Obasanjo was also in the same hotel with us. He was in
another presidential suite and we were in the other
presidential suits. He sent for Nasir el’Rufai to speak with
him. He told him that Gen should drop me and pick Okonjo-
Iweala as his running mate for him to give his full support.
He said he had called IBB and Dangote to support him to
win the election.
Nasir el’rufai came to meet me in my suite and told me
everything. I said, praise the Lord. Let’s go and meet him
because I’ve not signed the form. And we got to Gen
Buhari’s room. The reason for my background story you’d
find out in the next five minutes. At this time General and
Mallam were not in speaking terms. They were at war
because of what he said Gen Buhari said about him during
the Senate trial of him. He said he saw him as an elder
brother, a father figure and if he had anything to say he
should have called him to say it privately to him and not
publicly. I brokered peace and they could see eye to eye
again.
I relayed what Gen Obasanjo had said to Mallam and I
proffered five reasons why he should pick Okonjo-Iweala
as his running mate. The sixth reason I kept to myself but
it was known to El’rufai. One, she’s Delta Ibo. That will
solve South- south, South-east problem. Two, she’s a
Christian, however, nominal. It will fix the faith balancing
ticket…Muslim/Muslim. Three, she’s a woman. That will
solve the gender problem. It was Gen Buhari who first
passed into law that the gender issue is part of what his
government would do to put women in government.
Number four; she was a former minister of Finance and
External Affairs. That’s an experience which I don’t have.
And number five; Managing Director of the World bank, an
international exposure. She almost single- handedly
handled the debt cancellation for Nigeria. I said for these
five reasons I appeal to you to please take her. I had not
signed the form so I brought the form out. I said it would
not cause complication. I’d call a press conference and
declare to the whole world. He faced El’Rufai and asked
him, since Obasanjo spoke to you directly, what do you
thing about this?
El’rufai said I’ve worked with Obasanjo and you have
worked with him, you should know that Obasanjo would do
anything except he has an interest. But nonetheless, let’s
play along and Gen Buhari said you know I don’t do that.
I’ve called you Pastor Bakare because my heart picks you.
If you refuse don’t worry. I’ll look for another substitute in
the next 15 days. You can drop the form. I told them the
reason why I didn’t want to sign the form. I didn’t want to
die before my mother.
Pastor Adeboye Encouraged Bakare To Accept Buhari’s
Offer
Every Assistant that Gen Buhari had died. Tunde Idiagbon,
Chuka Okadigbo, Ume Ezeoke. They’re all dead. People
don’t know what goes around them in their season. I
signed the form and they took it to INEC and I became
public name. Those 15 days were 15 days of death and
resurrection. I prayed; I did not hear God speak one word
to me. I talked to Pastor Adeboye twice and Pastor
Adeboye said I told you the last time I came to your
church; that season is around the corner.
When I first brokered it, I went to Pastor Adeboye to help
persuade Dr Okwesili to be the running mate and he said
no, no, no. We need a strong Christian. Emphasis is on
STRONG. He reminded me that when I said it he knew that
I’d be the person. And I said sir! I called him the second
time and he said don’t be like Moses. Whether or not you
are not going to win this election, go there and stand for
the God’s kingdom there. So I led Gen Buhari to see him
then and he said he had never felt any pain in his heart
except the time Buhari was overthrown because he was
bringing some order into Nigeria. He said now that his
sons had joined him, he’d pray and he wished us well. That
was what he said to me privately and publicly.
IBB, Gusau, Tinubu’s Opposition To Buhari/Bakare
Combination
And whatever was said or heard I don’t know because I’ve
some other things. And towards the tail end Tinubu came
and said that he wanted an alliance …that there cannot be
a merger anymore. He said they were dropping their
presidential candidate and that General should drop me
while they would provide the vice president. Three days
before they called, an emissary had come to me from the
Atiku camp. Atiku was part of that configuration; Atiku,
IBB, Gusau and Tinubu. They met and said look we can’t
have Buhari and Tunde Bakare; in case they win this
eletion, they’ll be too tough.Let’s look for someone else.
General said you can have any position, finance or
anything; but I think it’d be wicked to ask Tunde to step
down because he didn’t ask for it and I pleaded with him
and I know what we went through before he succumbed.
You can have anything. But I’ll not ask him to step down.
But I had got information from the emissaries that came
from Atiku that I was going to be offered compensation …
cash compensation and buildings and what a few. Another
informant was a senior Oba in the Southwest who called to
tell me that Tinubu and my older cousin, former Governor
of Ogun State, Osoba were with him and told him their
mission to Abuja and they have been told not to touch me.
And I told the Oba that I’m willing to resign to move the
nation forward.
So at that time it was too late for me to resign and they
now brought an idea that I should resign as Vice president
of Nigeria and postdate the letter to June 17. And I told
them my mother did not raise a fool. I cannot commit
forgery. I’ve not occupied the office for which you are
asking me to resign. I’m willing to resign as Tunde Bakare
which I did when I gave them the letter and not as vice
president of Nigeria. They said it’d not get to the press.
The following day it was on the front page of Vanguard
saying that I had signed the letter. But I didn’t sign any
letter. So we had to go into that election and the rest is
history.
Why do I say the rest is history? Because they know that
they didn’t win that election. Justice of the Court of Appeal
had ordered that all the ballot papers be brought for
forensic examination. And when we paid the money to
bring the expert in and the machinery, they removed
Salami and disbanded that panel and formed another one.
Even if they had won that election, we’d have done a rerun
because CPC was registered in December of 2010. And
CPC only came out that December. Within three, to four
months it had more that 12 million votes.
Buhari Is A Unique Nigerian
If you had gone to any of the campaign with us; that’s why
Obasanjo said Buhari is a spirit because it’s only a spirit
that can organize a party in four months and have 12
million votes. At rallies you’d see a sea of heads. His
name just invokes some kind of passion in the North. When
we did the first public campaign that we flagged off from
Kaduna; I stood there and said God how did i get into this?
Because if there is a stampede, here everybody will die. It
was so much. And then we got home; and Buhari
staggered and said Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I was almost
angry. I thought he was just using the word. I said General
what did you just say? He said you think you have the
monopoly of Jesus Christ.
These are things you don’t know. Buhari’s driver that has
been driving him for the past ten years uninterrupted is a
born again Christian. His armour bearer, what you call
body guards are all members of Light House, Pastor
Sola’s Church. Buhari fought Idiagbon to a standstill
because he was going to divorce his Christian wife. He
said that’s unfair. They have hung that thing on him so
that he’d not win the election.
Why IBB Did Not Want Buhari
They thought there would be reprisal attacks on them for
what they did to him when he was overthrown. That’s
coming out of a book-the reason for the overthrow
because IBB himself was about to be retired for certain
reasons and they quickly moved. He’s coming out with his
own publication soon.
I said all these to say why I have kept quiet all this while.
We were in London-Nasri, Jimi Lawal myself and General. I
was reading in his bedroom because the living-room was
being cleaned. He said we have three things in common.
He said you are the last son and last child of your father;
I’m the last child of my father. There are only two of you
left on the earth planet out of several children. And me and
my sister are the only two left. But I beat you in the third
one. So, out of 22 children, mine was 23. And I said there
is one I beat you in also. I was born a Muslim, now I’m a
Christian; but you still remain a Muslim. And we just
laughed.
Why I Can’t Abandon Buhari
Mallam and Jimi later came to join us on how to move
Nigeria forward because General said not in his life
anymore. The reason I can’t abandon the man is that we
pushed him to come out again. Yes he’s old. But in term of
integrity, public record, accountability, there is no leader
like hm in Nigeria today who has not messed up himself.
He’s been a Head of State he has no petrol station; he’s
been a head of state, he could not afford to send his
children to private school. They all went to public schools
except those in the university now outside the country, his
only son.
Mallam and Jimi later came to join us on how to move
Nigeria forward because General said not in his life
anymore. The reason I can’t abandon the man is that we
pushed him to come out again. Yes he’s old. But in term of
integrity, public record, accountability, there is no leader
like hm in Nigeria today who has not messed up himself.
He’s been a Head of State he has no petrol station; he’s
been a head of state, he could not afford to send his
children to private school. They all went to public schools
except those in the university now outside the country, his
only son.
He has been governor Northeastern states. He had been
petroleum minister in Nigeria; he has a record. He has
asked anyone who has any information that he took an
advantage of the treasury by one penny to come out and
expose him. He has also asked anyone who would say he
used his religion against him to say it publicly. There’s
something about him that’s unique. He may not be a
Christian but he’s a leader that can stop corruption in our
country. It takes more than stopping corruption to run a
nation. Integrity is not enough. There must be skills in one
sense of a team can be built around him, the best of the
North and the best of the South, then we can move our
nation forward. And in order to do that we then said let’s
start talking with ACN about merger. So the talk began.
And somehow the merger became a reality. I moved the
motion for the merger publicly at the Eagle’s square in
Abuja.
Where is the man who said he wants to do an interview?
I’d have said all that needed to be said I’ve just said.
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