Buhari Was Not a Religious Bigot — Pastor Tunde Bakare

Pastor Tunde Bakare, Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC) and a former running mate to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, has dispelled the widely held belief that the former Nigerian leader was a religious bigot.

Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Bakare emphasized that contrary to public perception, Buhari was far from being a religious fundamentalist. He recounted personal experiences that, he said, revealed Buhari’s tolerance and openness toward Christianity.

“I thought he was a religious fundamentalist until I came close,” Bakare said, reflecting on their relationship during and after the 2011 presidential campaign, when he was Buhari’s vice-presidential candidate under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

Bakare recalled a particular moment during the campaign in Kaduna: “After the flag-off, we rode together in the same car to his home. As we arrived, he staggered a bit, and the first words out of his mouth were, ‘Jesus Christ of Nazareth.’ I asked him, ‘General, what was that?’ and he replied, ‘You don’t have the monopoly of Jesus Christ—I’m thanking God.’”

He further revealed that many of Buhari’s close aides and staff members, including his bodyguards and driver, were Christians. “His driver of 10 years once asked me to pray with him. When I said I don’t pray Islamic prayers, he replied, ‘I’m a Christian, sir.’”

Bakare, who also contested for the APC presidential ticket in 2023, said these experiences shaped his understanding of Buhari as a man who respected religious diversity.

The late President Buhari died on Sunday, July 14, while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness at one of London’s most expensive private clinics. He is scheduled to be buried today in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.

A delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima is currently in London to accompany the former president’s remains back to Nigeria for a state burial.