Pastor Tunde Bakare Speaks on agreement with Buhari to succeed him as president

Pastor Tunde Bakare, General Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), has clarified that there was no formal or written agreement between him and the late President Muhammadu Buhari regarding a succession plan.

Bakare, who was Buhari’s running mate during the 2011 presidential election under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), made the statement on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Addressing long-standing speculation that Buhari had planned to hand over power to him, Bakare said, “There was no written pact between us. He’s late now, and I will never say anything unfair about him. But there was a kind of look — like, ‘You’re one of those I would love to succeed me’ — and he did his best.”

Bakare also revealed that ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primaries in 2022, Buhari had invited all presidential aspirants to a meeting. During the gathering, the former president urged them to choose a successor freely, while also expressing his own preference.

Quoting Buhari, Bakare said: “I have allowed governors to choose those who will succeed them or go for a second term. I’m asking you today to freely choose the person I desire to succeed me.”

Muhammadu Buhari served as Nigeria’s president from 2015 to 2023, following an earlier stint as military head of state between 1983 and 1985. He passed away in London on Sunday, July 14, 2025, while receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.

His remains are expected to arrive in Nigeria today, with a state burial scheduled in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State.