Integrity is the content of a good personality in strength of character, measured by words spoken, judged by their actions in alignment with their unwavering verbal communication. Charisma is nothing but a spice, that gives an inviting urge to the table for a good looking meal; the taste of the pudding remains in the eating!

Unfortunately, we have many, flaunting charisma for a duty requiring purely integrity of words and strength of character, leading often to mismatch of persons who are jostling for leadership.

The need to match persons who are up for 2023 is the reason for this series. I will do this for all in the race, a peep into their past, screening for weaknesses, without over looking their strengths. Their roles and relationship with government will not also be ignored. Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. This administration is a foretaste of those whose sympathy for her are known if they succeed her. I will begin in my perceived order of closeness to President Muhammadu Buhari.

Pastor Tunde Bakare, comes to me as number one in this order. So, we roll with him.

Words are key at dissecting individuals content. PTB subscribes to the scriptures, which says “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak”. In a lay man, everyday language, it means the mouth will speak once the heart is full, we are consequently our words!

An interview session with Seun Okinbaloye confirmed the age long saying of the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria, which says; “soro soro, kò rántí ẹni tó mọ oro gbó”, meaning those who know how to talk should be conscious of those with gift of deep understanding.

Pastor Tunde Bakare, is never in want of eloquence, a lawyer by training and trade, erudite in court for many years before crossing over to another talking business, making a success of the business of preaching was effortless!

This enigma deserves our study of his unction and grace with words, paraventure, we may take a lesson or two to activate the discerning of words that will lead to hearing and understanding talkers beyond what they say. Such skill is the need of the hour, when the terribly carnal minded are laying claim to spiritual altitude of a flight from PDP to APC, this has become expedient so the control tower of INEC’s over 84 million registered voters may be informed enough to deny them landing right as we approach 2023, If a productive choice (by 43%), must be made on behalf of our over 200 million (100%) people.

Seun asked the question: “it does look like you and your friends helped APC in WHATEVER manner in which you did, you had a trust in the person of President Buhari, for example; is that trust still there?

Pastor Tunde Bakare came alive in his wit of words, his Queens English spiced with ancient wisdom from the Bible, I was tempted to lick his lips, but in his very own words came the counsel, not to. “The Bible says we should not put our trust in the arms of flesh or put our trust in Princes, the ONLY person you can trust absolutely is God Almighty, because the best of men are men at their very best”, said PTB.

The “Whatever” in Seun’s question is pregnant. Pastor Tunde Bakare has been a vocal advocate of democratic governance from his pulpit but came on the political scene in 2011 as the running mate to President Buhari on the platform CPC. He is a smart person, who does not look an inch a Nigerian who can be so easily fooled by politicians. How come it has taken this brilliant lawyer 2011 to 2021, to discover the person of President Muhammadu Buhari?

His philosophy of “trust no man but God”, has been part of PTB before he met Buhari but was kept in the cooler all this while.

In the days it was hard for us to trust Buhari, PTB was our investment at generating trust for him, with PTB besides PMB the bigotry written in capital letters became fainted small letters that were hardly legible. We were confused by the words of a man anointed to speak the truth of the gospel, such a person should never lie? Wrong or right, experience, they say is the best teacher. We kept trusting the man who spoke of a tyrant in words fitting for democrats. And when in trauma we reminded them of his first coming we were told the testimony of a changed life which is only made possible when men believe Christ, PMB has believed no one, but himself, however, his preachers said he was a born again Democrat! Buhari has been every thing; bigot, nepotic, tribalistic, name it, since 2015 except a Democrat!

2011 was the end of the road for Buhari politically, it was over for presidential race, he sobbed and spoke amid tears, what a moment of emotion for our stern Army General, “the best of men are indeed men at their very best”. 3 failed trials was all that was needed to reveal the child in Buhari.

PTB became the intellectual mobility and the driver of the “whatever” that needed to be done to drive Buhari successfully to the Villa in 2015.

PTB knew Buhari possibly better than his wife, for it wasn’t long after 2015 election that the 1st lady saw reason to give up on her husband. In Pastor Bakare’s own words, he has held monthly meetings with the President since 2015, meaning there had been an average of 72 meetings between PMB and PTB, I stand to be corrected, no other person world over has had such a privilege, not even the Archbishop of Canterbury!

We can therefore confidently hope that PTB will on behalf of all people of the Holy Spirit in Nigeria, rebuke FFK the hired Balaam at the Villa like Paul did Elymas the wizard, who when he was COMPLETELY filled with the Holy Spirit, he looked straight at Elymas and he said: “O full of all subtility and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways!

For how long shall we tolerate Femi, the son of Fani-Kayode from calling evil good and good, evil? We further believe he will turn to his covenant friend in destiny, PMB, to remind him of the scriptures which say evil communications corrupt good manners, and tell him that whatever goodwill he has left can only be corrupted with this fraternity with FFK!

If this country has run on monthly meetings with Ministers and Governors, then should we conclude that this two men, PMB and PTB cabal ran this country thus far?

How come it has taken PTB 10 years to know what seems obvious since 1983, that the president does not have the processing capacity for complicated political details except for terms like RUGA? I stand with the PMB that he cannot understand PTB thesis on restructuring which makes no provisions for grazing land for Fulani’s herds in Southern Nigeria.

‘Who did this to us?’ is a common question on the lips of Nigerians, some will even ask ‘how did we get here?’

We were led on this political route like Northern cattle by the best of the Southern Shepherds, these are persons of respect and influence, the fruits of the ministry work justify such.

Wale Adefarasin, Bolaji Idowu, Olaitan Aromolaran, Sam Adeyemi, Paul Adefarasin, Olumide Emmanuel, were they subtle in their support? There was the class that went the distance, Yomi Kasali, held the South West, Bishop Jonas Katung the North, Rev Father Ejike Mbaka towered over the East their commitment was not in anyway hidden.

Fathers in the faith were not left out, Bishop Mike Okonkwo’s admiration for a Buhari led Nigerian was not hidden, and of course our today’s nightmare had the blessing of Daddy E.A Adeboye, sure was the hope of our redemption, contrary to what this administration has become.

Politics, by nature is deceptive and divisive, the call for democracy first took place in the garden of God, one would have thought the church will lead the world at democracy and discerning politicians. If Satan successfully campaigned against God in Eden, I don’t know how much of chance we stand without being sensitive to the Holy Spirit against his children!

If there is any lesson in this, it is that the church needs a Political Institute to inform her decision based on research and study of individuals and political parties taking into consideration the interest of our faith.

Pastor Tunde Bakare, was the progenitor who stepped out of the pulpit and took his advocacy to the streets, ‘Save Nigeria Group’ (SNG) was formed and it came on “the side of the people”, with the Odumakins (Gbenga and Joe) involved, it took no time before the masses’ goodwill were invested in SNG. Unlike the Shepherd of Psalm 23 who substituted human for animals and led David to the green pastures by the still water. Animals have gained priority over humans with the best of our land and river banks reserved for cattles! Our pastors unfortunately have gone mute, with PTB screaming from the pulpit on Sundays even though he may be holding a meeting with the President the next day!

PTB might have sounded prophetic when he said, “a mighty army is about to rise from the valley of dry bones” he reiterated, “if you have read Ezekiel 37”. He went further, “the hopeless are going to rise and demand what is right and God is going to look for the best of the North and the best of the South according to Ezekiel 37,” this boat must not sink”.

What PTB didn’t tell us, but we heard by discernment, is that the best of the North and the best of the South have found themselves, he meant himself and El-Rufai, and have worked together to make Buhari President in 2015, not because of God, us or Buhari, but because this “two musketeers” of ambition hung their hope on the man with 11 million votes from the North!

SNG was a platform of political strategy formed for what it achieved; send GEJ and PDP out of power and nothing more,
if Nigeria was a valley of dead bodies when Pastor Bakare cried on our behalf on the platform of SNG!

He was mute while this administration rottens our flesh and dried us to the bones! If SNG was a failure at standing up for us when we badly needed salvation, what hope does PTB’s Nigeria- for- Nigerian Movement holds for us?

If the prophecy of Pastor Tunde Bakare, that the HOPELESS are going to rise and demand what is right, is anything to go by, then, Nigerians must understand that neither PTB nor El-Rufai falls into the category of the hopeless masses who must rise to defend themselves. And if God is truly in search of the best of the North and of the South, we must appeal to God not to look for them among those who dragged us to the slaughter slab and gave our necks to knives of bandits and watch Nigerians as we hopelessly grieve under their idol!

SNG group was conspicuous in the fraternity of the ambitious that birthed APC, the days ahead will reveal the roles PTB played at selling PMB to the Jephtah of his revelation at the Citadel, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu!

We need to ask Asiwaju, Sir, what were you told by those who introduced you to this monumental failure that may end your exploits on the political turf?

You are no doubt a political juggernaut, reflecting on your meetings with PTB and El-Rufai and Co is critical to choosing the candidate to support going forward. Can what you were told be aligned with your experiences in the past 6 years?

The game of course looks over, but there is a way men should quit a game, even if you must quit 2023 race, it must be like a political General that you are!

An orchestrated scheme for power control within APC has seen the ACN sidelined, and CPC gained upper hand, it knocked Adams Oshiomole out, cleaned up Magu, took out Fowler and left the almighty Jagaban gasping for breath!

Politics is indeed a dirty game! How the best of the South is able to swim in this murky water thus far without a prick to his conscience should be of concern to our constituency of faith!

This ship, referring to Nigeria, Bakare said must not sink, on this, I quite agree, but it is not for those who drilled holes in our boat and kept us busy, bailing water from it since 2015 to announce!

Nigeria indeed will not sink, that’s if we know how to hear what is not said from whatever politicians are saying!

Seun asked PTB if he was going to run, and our wordsmith responded, whether as Pastor Tunde Bakare or President Tunde Bakare, the initial will still remain PTB!

Pastor Tunde Bakare is at liberty to wish that is initials PTB could be anything starting with “P”, it is left to Nigerians if PTB will mean President Tunde Bakare, or it shall be the case of “his presidential Bishopric” let another man take!

Dr Bolaji O. Akinyemi, an Apostle, focusing of revival in the church and revolution in the nation, the BID, as he is fondly call, is also a communications strategist.
FB: Bolaji Akinyemi
Email: bolajiakinyemi66@gmail.com

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