I Gave Nasir El-Rufai N160m During Election –Tunde Bakare

MICHAEL AKINOLA

The firebrand preacher and founder of the Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare has disclosed that he gave a whopping N160 million to the present Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai during his campaign to become the Chief Executive of the North Western State in 2015.

Speaking last weekend in Glasgow, Scotland as guest speaker at an evening with Association of Nigerians in Scotland, Bakare said that he gave the huge sum to the governor as a loan to help him as a friend during his push for the seat and the governor has since paid back.

“The current governor of Kaduna State once stayed in my house and we discussed many political and personal issues. I wrote the foreword of his published book with the little information I knew about him then. I invited him from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join Congress For Progressive Change, CPC. When he was contesting for the governorship of Kaduna State, I contributed N160million for his electioneering campaign and he later paid me back,” Bakare told the audience.

The popular clergy also revealed that asides paying back the loan, the Governor offered to make his (Bakare) son the MD/CEO of one of his companies, but he rejected the offer for some undisclosed reasons.

Bakare also spoke extensively on the theme of the event: “A New Nigeria Re-engineered, The Role Of The Diaspora” where he carefully analysed how some former African dictators plundered the resources of their respective countries while poverty ravaged the continent.
When challenged by one of the guests in the audience on his silence and non-criticism of Buhari’s government over the recent happenings in the country including allegations of sleaze among some government officials, the lawyer and Convener of Save Nigeria Group, said he does not believe in playing to the gallery.
“The Buhari I know will not steal money. Buhari is my friend but I am not afraid to tell him the truth. You don’t stab your friend in a public place. I know ways to reach out directly to Mr. President. If you notice, I did not really start to criticise Buhari until January this year. I once told him that you cannot consider yourself as clean if you surround yourself with many unclean people,” Bakare said.

He however said that with the present system in Nigeria, Buhari must be ‘repackaged’ and he must sack some bad eggs in his government to win hearts of Nigerians for 2019 election.
The famous pastor disclosed that he will give Buhari up till September ending to repackage himself and by October 7, he will tell the nation of his political move to salvage Nigeria.

Bakare then passionately advised Nigerians in the Diaspora to always think of how to contribute to the development of their country and not get involved in illegal things that can lead to their imprisonments and taint their reputation with criminal records.

“No matter the level of your positions or achievements in the United Kingdom, USA or any parts of Europe, you will still be treated like second-class citizens because of the colour of your skins.
“I also have a British passport because my wife was born in England. We have our own personal house in London and America. But I always love to live in Nigeria, to rebuild the country. When I briefly lived in London in 1994, I did not stay in a rented apartment. When people say we need a modern Nigeria, I always disagree because what we need is a new Nigeria because during my time in school, only people who could not afford to attend grammar schools always went to modern schools.”

At the end of the event, Bakare was presented with an award and decorated with the Fellowship of African Centre for Research, Policy and Development in conjunction with the University of West of Scotland, Paisley.