PRESS RELEASE
Having observed the continued campaign of calumny against Pastor Tunde Bakare due to a false narrative fabricated by twisting his comments about Igbo presidency while preaching at the February 2022 Convergence, we, the Remnant Christian Network, Lagos, are obliged to set the record straight.
Our Father, Pastor Bakare was our guest speaker at the February 2022 edition of the Convergence, our bi-monthly Christian conference. The theme was ‘Winning by Righteousness’.
We hoped to access God’s wisdom concerning living righteously and promoting righteousness and justice as a way of escaping the corruption bedevilling individuals, families and our nation, Nigeria. This is why we invited our father, Pastor Bakare, a man of God, most eminently qualified to speak on the theme.
Therefore, we are saddened to see how some mischievous persons have twisted Pastor Bakare’s comments at our conference to push their preconceived political narratives and agenda.
For the record, the claim that Pastor Bakare said an Igbo man cannot become president of Nigeria is totally false and the exact opposite of what he said.
While explaining God’s hatred for injustice as clearly indicated in the 59th chapter of the book of Prophet Isaiah. Pastor Bakare said it is unjust for anyone to say the Igbos cannot be president of Nigeria.
“Six times in Isaiah 59, He [God] mentioned no justice, no justice, no justice, no justice, no justice. Why? The foundations of God’s throne are righteousness and justice. Why should anyone in this country say the Igbo man cannot become president of Nigeria? Are they not Nigerians?” Pastor Bakare said. The message is on the RCN Lagos Youtube channel. You can confirm.
It is completely absurd for anyone to suggest that Pastor Bakare was paid to speak against the Igbos and to sow seeds of discord in this country. We are well aware of his efforts at uniting this country, both in prayers and deeds over the years.
The story Pastor Bakare told about Tafawa Balewa’s death has also been misconstrued. He was recounting a story he told an audience at an event, which was held in the early 1990s in Imo State. While speaking to that audience about 30 years ago, Pastor Bakare started the story by saying, “I want to tell you why Igbos cannot rule Nigeria, and I want to remove the curse today.” He told the story and he went on to reverse Tafawa Balewa’s curse on the Igbo generations, using provisions in the scriptures.
“If you don’t rise above tribal and religious [sentiments], you can’t fix a nation, you repair the breach, you can’t restore the paths to dwell in,” he said in conclusion, referencing parts of Isaiah 58.
So the point of the Balewa story is that the Igbo are not under any curse and should have access to the throne of Nigeria like any other ethnic group in the country in the interest of justice and equity.
For the avoidance of doubt, we do not support or endorse any politician or political party. We are a network of believers in Jesus Christ and our members have different political persuasions and affiliations. We are only motivated by God’s promise of a new Nigeria, hence of continued efforts at interceding for our nation.
The purpose of this press release is to correct the falsehood generated by twisting a part of a powerful and instructive message preached at our conference.
