If l’m asked that amongst the servants of God in Nigeria,
Who will venture into politics?I will never mention Pastor
Tunde Bakare of The Latter Rain Church.Because,he is an
honest preacher,always criticizing the dishonesty of people
in government.Remember his criticism against Obasanjo’s
administration, so much so that he prophesized Obasanjo’s
doom, though that didn’t come to pass.

But now, l’m surprised to see him as the vice president to
Buhari of CPC party.With this l’m moved to ask why did
he join politics in the first place?

Is it money,popularity,or to correct the ills of the society or
God called him to do so?l urgently need an answer!

I know if God had called him to participate in politics,his
pairing with Buhari would have succeeded.Again,if he
wanted to venture into politics to correct the ills of the
society,can he do it without getting corrupt or defiling
himself? May be he wanted more money or more popularity.

If l’m wrong, what then should be the motivating factor?l
know him, he is a lawyer, formerly a Moslem but now a
Christian, even the General Overseer of The Latter Rain
Church, the higest earthly office in the service of God.In that
position,l never knew he was still interested in politics,and that
might be his undoing, as what’s happening to him now might
be as a result of his disobedience to God service.

Recently, the media carried a bad news that his building was set
ablaze, which never happened during his missionary journey,
when he was a full time servant of God.May be that’s a sign
that God isn’t happy with him. And if he insist on continuing
with his political ambition, who knows the next havoc to
befall him.

I love pastor Tunde Bakare,l don’t want further havoc to befall
him.Please, throw in your political towel, ask God for forgiveness
of your sin of obedience and then rededicate your life fully to
God’s service

Leave politics in the hands of politicians, please and then squarely
face God’s work.

Omegaa
Iinfopro4us@yahoo.com.

Simple answer is Bakare has never been a Pastor. I watched him preach on TV a few occasions and I never heard him talk about repentance and salvation. All he did was talk politics and criticize government. To me he has always been a politician in a priest's robe. No wonder God allow him to be disgraced. You know the saying: Those whom the gods will kill, they first make mad?

adros84:

Simple answer is Bakare has never been a Pastor. I watched him preach on TV a few occasions and I never heard him talk about repentance and salvation. All he did was talk politics and criticize government. To me he has always been a politician in a priest's robe. No wonder God allow him to be disgraced. You know the saying: Those whom the gods will kill, they first make mad?

How many of your precious Pastors talk about salvation and repentance these days? 80% of them restrict themselves to sowing seeds, tithe paying and offerings.
Discussing the Government is far better in terms of service to the people.

omegaa.:

In that
position,l never knew he was still interested in politics,and that
might be his undoing, as what’s happening to him now might
be as a result of his disobedience to God service.

Recently, the media carried a bad news that his building was set
ablaze, which never happened during his missionary journey,
when he was a full time servant of God.May be that’s a sign
that God isn’t happy with him. And if he insist on continuing
with his political ambition, who knows the next havoc to
befall him.

I swear, this is utterly brainless.

Oya Oga Texx. answer the question and stop throwing your weight around here

Because the constitution allows him to.

@OP
Il put myself in his shoes and attempt to answer it in this way: If I was a pator like him, with great passion like him, would I have ventured into politics if the opportunity presented itself?

My answer, over and over and over again is a big YES.
Why?
My prayer is that only those with true passion for Nigeria should go into politics. Pastor Tunde Bakare, Pat Utomi, are two of the very few people who really have passion for this country in my own reckoning. Now these people would not have needed to go into politics if only those we keep electing are doing what they promised they would do.

The sad thing is that Nigerians are undeserving of men like Bakare. Rather than encourage them so that many such like them can boldly come out of their shells, we condemn them, no wonder we keep recycling old politicians who have no vision except to enrich their pockets.

When Bakare came out with SNG, many condemned him. The same SNG with their determination forced the so called cabal to shelve their plans of not installing Jonathan as Acting President.

But I am not surprsied though, history is filled with with similar situations. Martin Luther King was said to be killed by the same people he fought for. Moses was consistently blasted by the same people he fought for and delivered from Egypt.

May God help Nigeria

As a christian, I also totally disagree with the poster and many other fellow christians who say that if Bakare was called by God, then CPC would have won. It shows that we know absolutely nothing about the God we serve and we are simply 'prosperity' christians.

First, Tunde Bakare never said, at any time that I know, it was God who called him. However, asides that, we must never put God in a box. It was this same impression some of the disciples had when Jesus came that they couldn't fathom how come the 'Messiah' could die. If we were in their shoes, we would have made the same mistake. God has different plans for different situations. His ways are not always our ways. Time reveals all things. As time goes on, we will have full understanding of what happened in the political spheres with the alliance of Bakare and Buhari.

Eventually, we must also remember, the people deserve the kind of leaders they get. While it was God's will to continue to reign as King over the affairs of the people of Israel and nominate for them prophets, the people one day asked for another king. And though this wasn't God's plan and it hurt Him and his prophet Samuel, God still went ahead to give them a King.
What am I trying to say, even if God has a plan for Nigeria, if Nigerians reject that plan, there is little or nothing He can do about it but to allow us continue in our folly.

I strongly believe as a true christian, we are not restricted in politics. As a matter of fact,christians should consciously aspire for these political positions.
Where I stamp my feet and say 'NO' in regards to Pst Tunde's ambition is his choice of candidate. And dont get me wrong, its nt about religion or ethnicity, its about the person, the man Gen. Buhari. I already said before now that Pst Tunde would have retained his reputation and intergrity if he'd paired up with Ribadu, Shekarau and lost than with a man who he prophecied against.
And that brings me to an answer in my opinion on what pushed him to politics. Me thinks its ungodly ambition!

Odunnu:

I strongly believe as a true christian, we are not restricted in politics. As a matter of fact,christians should consciously aspire for these political positions.
Where I stamp my feet and say 'NO' in regards to Pst Tunde's ambition is his choice of candidate. And dont get me wrong, its nt about religion or ethnicity, its about the person, the man Gen. Buhari. I already said before now that Pst Tunde would have retained his reputation and intergrity if he'd paired up with Ribadu, Shekarau and lost than with a man who he prophecied against.
And that brings me to an answer in my opinion on what pushed him to politics. Me thinks its ungodly ambition!

Before I reply, pls don't take it as one of my 'usual attacks' on you (as u call them)

Bakare paired up with Buhari because of all the candidates, he had the best credentials in terms of personal integrity. If your ideology and your opinion is that Nigeria's problems are largely due to corruption, Buhari would have always been the best choice.

I can't see how anyone can claim Bakare has lost his 'integrity'. If anything, his refusal to sign a document of deceit prepared by the ACN in a secret meeting is clear evidence that his principles of doing the right thing are still very much intact.
Saying his attempt to achieve a lofty position (which he would have used to influence more people to good than he can already do) is 'ungodly ambition' is akin to calling many of the Nigerian pentecostal pastors ungodly for their attempts to build large churches and purchase broadcasting stations.

@Odunnu,

I don't know Pastor Tunde Bakare in person so my response will be based on what I heard before during and after April 16th elections.
Based on all that I heard, if there is anything that drove TB into politics, it definitely isn't ambition.

A little bit of background (all these can be confirmed if you like):
After the successful protests led by SNG that led to Goodluck being installed as Acting President, the SNG as led by Tunde Bakare decided that they should not stop at this point and rather should go on to 'produce' credible leadership for the forth coming elections (which we just had). Various men and women of integrity were invited to meetings held at Bakare's house and other locations, some of these meetings lasting way into the night. The plan was to either start a political party or affiliate with an existing one to achieve the aims.
Top amongst those who attended some of those meetings were Okonjo Iweala, Ezekwesili, ElRufai, Ribadu, Donald Duke, Jimi Agbaje, etc. Fashola was also invited but he didn't attend (quite understandably).

Eventually many names were proposed to come forth and run for the position of president and vice president. Tunde Bakare at the onset had told the group that he would support them but will not in anyway run for any position. Different names were suggested but some of these people for reasons best known to them and maybe reasons we now know, were only interested in supporting the group but did not think they were ready to jump into the murky waters of Nigerian politics.
As this did not work out, the group now changed focus to now instead of producing their own leader, select one of the potential presidential aspirants who they believed in and support him/her. After consultations, Buhari was selected (whether this was the group's decision or Tunde Bakare's decision, I cannot tell for now).

Last year, Buhari called Tunde Bakare and asked him to run with him. Bakare's answer was NO. Buhari asked him to think and pray about it. Tunde Bakare then made wide consultations with spiritual and political leaders. I don't want to mention names but I'm sure if I say that one of the people he consulted is a well known head of the fastest growing church in Nigeria and another he consulted is the head of the current opposition party who sold their votes to PDP at the presidential elections, you will know who I am talking about.
Infact, at a stage, a pastor told Tunde Bakare he was behaving 'like Moses' who was looking for excuses not to do the work God sent him.
Eventually, some weeks after Buhari called him, he accepted to be Buhari's running mate.

Many people also do not know that Bakare wrote a letter to Buhari telling him that if at any point Buhari decided to remove him as his running mate, that he was willing to accept the decision.
Many also do not know that OBJ once asked Buhari to replace Bakare with Okonjo-Iweala to get his (OBJ's) support, a plan to which Bakare accepted but which Buhari totally refused.
Buhari at a time declared that one of the reasons he chose Bakare is that if peradventure anything happens to him after winning the elections, he wanted someone who he was certain would hold the mantle and lead the Nation with the same passion as himself

From the above and other which I know and which can also be sourced on the internet, I do not think Bakare had any self ambition in this case. He is just a man like many of us, who is passionate about Nigeria.

I respect Bakare a lot and his coming out to run with Buhari inspite of all the attack he got from his own constituency (christians) makes me respect him even the more.

It takes a man/woman with passion and with zero ambition to leave the comfort of his house and family and church, to venture into politics in Nigeria where no matter how white you are when you enter, you are bound to be turned to black before you leave. Again which is why I doff my hat for people like Utomi, Okotie (no matter what people say about him), etc.

Unlike many people, even though CPC did not win the presidential elections (at least not yet), I do not see it as failure. As someone who actively worked to actualise the vision of CPC, I will say that what the group did was to bring up men and women of integrity from around the world who using the power of the internet, worked together and committed their resources and time to make sure we achieved our dream. Many of the people I worked with had not even met each other before and many may not see each other again but still, it didn't stop them from committing money in large amounts to the project and till date, we have not heard any accussation of embezzlement or mismanagement of funds in any form. This gives me great hope in the project called Nigeria.
Thanks to Buhari, thanks to Bakare and thanks to the entire BB team all around the world

Re: Why Did Pastor Tunde Bakare Venture Into Politics? Answer; Greed. the monies he gets from his church is not sufficient for him anymore. Now he wants the National cake. Religious leader should stay in their place of worship and leave politics for us.

@proudly9ja, all your 'breaking news' are stale news. Even the roadside pure water seller would give you details on every one of them.
In 2007, i'd just come of age and had to vote to stamp my adulthood. I voted Chris Okotie,because I believe in him and the vision.
If Pst Tunde Bakare I repeat had teamed up with a Nuhu Ribadu or Shekarau or even Jonathan, i'd have believed in him and hs vision too, but hanging out with a 'decaying' part of Nigeria like he prophecied was totall off the track.
Did he hear God when he made that prophecy in '06? Did he hear God when he paired up with the man who he already prophecied wasnt a part of the new Nigeria? How do you reconcile this?
Suffice to say that he had and ungodly ambition!

God told him in his dreams

Pastor Tunde Bakare was just applying the biblical principle of : "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

Salt preserves from corruption. As the disciples of Messiah we are to preserve the world from general corruption. Whatever becomes utterly corrupted is doomed to be destroyed. Just like food left out on the counter, our world is corrupt and doomed for destruction unless we do something about it.

Corrupt: (1) willing to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain. (2) evil or morally depraved.

The remedy for our world is us. We are the salt of the earth. That means we need to be like salt is to food, if we are going to save this world from corruption and destruction.

How does salt preserve food from corruption?
It must come in contact with food. If we are going to save this world from corruption and destruction, we must come into close contact with people so that we can preserve them.
Preserve: (1) keep safe from harm or injury. (2) treat (food) to prevent its decomposition.
If we are simply in physical contact with the world, we won’t preserve it. We need to treat the world, and do something to prevent corruption from taking place. Our words and actions are needed to preserve people from corruption and destruction. First, we may need to help people realize they are corrupt. If you don’t believe your food needs to be wrapped in salt, or put in the fridge, you’ll leave it on the counter. We first must realize the food will perish if not covered in salt or put in the fridge. If people don’t think they are sick, they won’t go to the Doctor. First, we must help people realize they are corrupt; that they have a problem and are not in right standing with God. Once they believe this, things can change.

The heart and mind of people must change if they are to respond.
(Psalm 14:1-3) The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.
(Gen 6:5) The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

We can make laws that line up with the Bible, but that alone will not work. Israel was a theocracy; it had the Bible as it’s law book. It didn’t work. There were godly laws, but the people had corrupt hearts. As I think about this, I acknowledge that we need to have godly laws, but if we want to save people from corruption we must see their hearts changed. Godly laws won’t change people; changed hearts will!

@Odunnu, I implied in my post that all the thing I wrote can be verified online, I don't think there was any need for you to 'break it down' further like you did.

Since you have made your conclusions on what his ambitions are/were, I don't think there's need to take this convo forward.
I think I have read my bible long enough to know that I cannot put God in a box and unless God gives me revelation about an issue, I cannot condemn a man/woman of his decisions. I wonder if Joseph was chosen by God too afterall, he worked under Pharoah or if it was God who chose Saul for Israel too afterall, he led the people to sin. Or even if it was God who annointed David afterall he was the one who 'numbered' his people and caused thousands to die based on that action.
Moses did not make the promised land, I wonder if it was his personal ambition that drove him into 'activism' too, maybe that was why he was punished and he didn't make the promised land.


As always, time will tell and ultimately, God will be the judge of our actions and inactions.

I think his motive will be very difficult to understand. Only God knows exactly what is in his heart. What gets my attention is the point Odunnu raised i.e: How come he prophesied "by the Spirit of God" that Buhari was part of the old that was rotting away and a few years later, he seemed to turn against the same prophecy and work against it! It is very difficult to comprehend.

I also remember he said he has got the strategy to stop the likes of IBB. That got me thinking. Is it possible that his running with Buhari was part of the game plan to stop him? Did Bakare actually lay down his life to stop Buhari? Bakare played a key role knowingly or unknowingly in ensuring the alliance between ACN and CPC did not work. He himself may not know this. God may have used him to stop Buhari!

This theory may sound ridiculous but only God knows what really happened. I have decided to be careful about this matter because his action does not make any sense looking at it from the surface. I guess time will tell. For me, I am happy that after all said and done, Buhari lost.

Thats just my happiness, the prophecy was fulfilled and he didnt, couldnt, wouldnt emerge a president in the new Nigeria!!
However God wants to align His plans is not for me to question but the God I know doesnt go back on His words.

Odunnu:

Thats just my happiness, the prophecy was fulfilled and he didnt, couldnt, wouldnt emerge a president in the new Nigeria!!
However God wants to align His plans is not for me to question but the God I know doesnt go back on His words.

If you're a Christian, you'd know that God can actually relent. And He did it several times in the Bible too.

At the end, It isn't about 'visions' or 'prophecies'. It's about change. Fixing Nigeria will do far more than what the Church in Nigeria has been able to do for years. Let's face it, most Nigerian christians don't give a damn about the poor and suffering in their midst. They and their pastors care far more about tithes and offerings than charity and helping the less privileged. Bringing sanity to Nigeria from the leadership point of view would improve more lives than ever before.

I hope and pray we get more upright men of integrity to aspire for the top job. These are critical times for this country. Infant and maternal mortality is rising, educational standards are falling, crime in increasing, the youths are more corrupt than their fathers, Al Qaeda is slowly gaining a foothold in Nigeria, kidnapping is a clear and present danger, roads are terrible, Power is grossly inadequate etc. We need a fix for Nigeria and we need it fast.
If you have any good men in your midst let them come out!

Quote author=Odunnu link=topic=655700.msg8220895#msg8220895 date=1303991372]
Thats just my happiness, the prophecy was fulfilled and he didnt, couldnt, wouldnt emerge a president in the new Nigeria!!
However God wants to align His plans is not for me to question but the God I know doesnt go back on His words.
[quote][/quote] GBAM GBAM and double GBAM
Any attempt to use religion to disrepute this is arrant colloquial mentality. Bakare said Buhari was not a part of the new Nigeria how come now its ok to join him & expect to win the way we use religion to blackmail our thinking in this country sef!
BB done lose is evident that they were not of Gods vision for this country take it or leave it. Was GEJ not endorsed by Adeboye is that not enough grounds to also claim religion? Abeg make I hear word. Is Bakare the only one God must use? Screw him he wasn't the best man for the job and that's it, deal with it or go hug the transformer.

There is nothing as scary as Nigerians who claim to be Christians  ----  They are some of the blindest,and most deceiving of folks on the planet, I tell ya!

@Poster, are you suggesting that the explanations Bakare gave for his PERSONAL choice to venture into politics is NOT ENOUGH? Are you here to tell us you have the ability to read his(Bakare's) mind, and his God's mind for him(Bakare) and so know more on this?? I tire for you OVERSABI Nigerian Christians --- your lot gives me the heebie-jeebies

@Texx: funny enough, we both say we need godly men in the helms of affair be they traditionalists or naturalists but they should be men of intergrity.
You overlooked my point where I said I voted Xris Okotie and if Pst Tunde had ran with Ribadu,it would have been a different gist. . .these are men who IMO are intergrity and godliness personified to an extent, not the extremist, islamic fanatical crying General Buhari.

Arosa:

Re: Why Did Pastor Tunde Bakare Venture Into Politics? Answer; Greed. the monies he gets from his church is not sufficient for him anymore. Now he wants the National cake. Religious leader should stay in their place of worship and leave politics for us.

The most logical answer and probably the correct one too. There is no need trying to fool ourselves. We all know that politics in all forms (democracy/monarchy/dictatorship e.t.c) requires shady wheeling and dealing. It requires you to spin situations and in most cases tell an outright lie/lies. There is no changing that.
No true religious leader will place himself/herself in such a position if they weren't also interested in the perks of the political office. So let's not fool ourselves.

That's the point. Religion should not be a key factor to consider in politics. We should be more concerned about capacity, achievement and relationship in recruiting our leaders. Fashola is one of the best examples of this. He is one person that is accepted by most Lagosians as a performer. His religion has NOTHING to do with it. I wish every politician can be like him.

He ventured into politics for power - period.

The power he had over his followers was insufficient for him.

Power corrupts - and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I have also tried to rationalize this man's pairing with Buhari to no avail.

Truth be said, there is no Biblical precedence for men of God to go into politics. For those that said it is a way to shine "light to the world" or being "salt of the earth", it shows lack of in-depth knowledge of the Bible. Christians can go into politics but not those who have been called into a life of service to the kingdom of God. Daniel was in government in his days but he was not a Priest. The fact that the society is not fairing well does not justify men of God abandoning the pulpit to want to be King. There are several instances in the Bible in which Israel deviated from the commandments of God and were held captives by foreign nations and God did not ask Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaiah and even Samuel to abadon their prophetic ministries and be Kings. Rather, God forewarned the nation of Israel in messages sent through these prophets. Our Saviour, Jesus Christ led a life that should be an example to all Priests (him being a high Priest too) of how not to confuse the Kingdom of God to Kingdom of men. None of his apostles went into government after his crucifiction but into preaching the gospel to all nations and "feeding the sheep". Pastors ought to be feeding the sheep and leave Government to those whom God has called to that purpose.

Now to the man Tunde Bakare himself, he is a bundle of contradictions. I have lost count of his many prophecies that were driven by personal convictions rather than the spirit of God. For example, he said Sultan Maccido will be the last Sultan of Sokoto and that has failed. He has been saying (since sometime around 2001/2002) that the man who will change Nigeria will be from Adamawa State, a Prince  who will emerge from the northern oligarchy and will restore Nigeria and put an end to all traditional institutuions in Nigeria (Buhari is from Katsina State o!). I was in his church on the day (01/10/2006) he preached the message that Buhari belongs to the decaying Nigeria and that from that year, there will be a foundation for a new Nigeria. That prophecy has been fulfilled but it is saddening to know that the same man who brought the message was in the team of those working hard against the fulfillment of the purpose of God for this nation. I am so certain that Tunde Bakare knew that Buhari was not the will of God for Nigeria and that is why he didn't say God told him to contest but rather said he got the "approval of Pastor Adeboye" to contest.

Another hard truth is that Tunde Bakare's calling to the pulpit is doubtful, his eloquent and articulate sermons notwithstanding. He mentioned it in one of his sermons in which he castigated Pastor Adeboye that when he was leaving the RCCG to start his own ministry, Pastor Adeboye called a meeting and warned members of the church not to follow him stressing that "God told me (Pastor Adeboye) that He has not called him (Tunde Bakare) to start a ministry". Now the events of the past years have shown clearly that Pastor Adeboye may be right afterall. God is not an author of confusion.

That Tunde Bakare could shun all the attrocities committed by Buhari (human rights abuses, murder, nepotism, anti-democratic tendecies, unholy association with Abacha, Press harassment and even corruption - $2.8b NNPC fund traced to his Midland Bank, London account in 1983 and another case of 53 suitcases) and still team up with him shows a lack of principle. Buhari has never apologized to the families of those he unlawfully detained or harassed or even killed their loved ones. And when he had the opportunity to ask for forgiveness throught the Oputa panel, he failed to show up and even went to court with IBB to stop the panel from making its findings public. When we offend God, one of the pre-requisites for forgiveness is to confess your sins. I am sure Tunde Bakare knows this. How come he didn't impress on Buhari to seek the forgiveness of all the people he has wronged in the past? Some families are still in pains today because of what Buhari did to their loved ones. The families of Ambrose Alli - who died from health complications developed while in Buhari's detention, Pa Adekunle Ajasin - who became blind while in Buhari's detention, Mr Oje Oyewunmi - who died exactly 28days after being released from Buhari's prison and so many people like Bisi Onabanjo etc. What were their sins? Buhari said they were corrupt. Late Professor Ambrose Alli was Gorvernor of old Bendel State between 1979 - 1983, who died with only a plot of land to his name in his home town while Pa Adekunle Ajasin only had a bungalow he built while he was a School Principal to his name when he died. These were Buhari's record of fighting corruption.

The Bible warned us not to be equally yoked with unbelievers. Tunde Bakare has offended God and should go and ask for forgiveness.

Bakare is a passionate, brilliant, and was a very successful lawyer, why couldn't he have ventured into politics ?

I don't understand the correlation between politics and religious motives in this instance --- even if "god said" -- the elections were right and made Jonathan president --- he's amongst the most useless and weakest presidents Nigeria will have. Nigeria just missed out on a great opportunity to have an accountable leader. No one steals under Buhari. The thieves know it so they rig the elections. All those villagers in the jungles of Nigeria have no idea who they just voted for.

"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good." (Titus 1:15,16).

STOP judging others from your own moral prism.

he want to make Nigeria Better

and God told him to go

and Adeboye said he should run with Buhari instead of running he went ahead and contest.