My comments not to mock 2006 ADC crash victims – Bakare

By Dapo Akinrefon

The Serving Overseer of the citadel Global Community Church, CGCC, Pastor Tunde Bakare, connected Sunday, said though helium was courted by leaders of the ADC to articulation their fold,  his remarks were not meant to mock the victims of the October 29, 2006, ADC Airline crash.

Bakare, who said helium remains committed to federation building, urged the contiguous harvest of leaders to “learn from past and recognise the transience of power.”

Bakare, who is besides the Founder and Board Chairman, Citadel School of Government, said this during a work astatine the Church auditorium successful Ikeja, Lagos.

The fiery televangelist also explained wherefore helium turned down the overtures of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, conscionable arsenic helium dismissed insinuations that the Citadel School of Government, CSG, is affiliated with immoderate governmental party. 

His words: “My attention has precocious been drawn to misconceptions and misrepresentations regarding my statements during an interactive league astatine the archetypal variation of the Citadel School of Government Dialogue Series held connected October 4, 2025, present astatine the Lecture Hall of the Citadel School of Government. On that occasion, I did authorities that I was being courted by the African Democratic Congress, ADC, with visits from immoderate of the party’s heavyweights and however I person hitherto refused to judge the party’s overtures, having played a relation successful the enactment of the All Progressives Congress (APC). I besides said that for the involvement of our democracy, Nigeria needs a robust absorption enactment not conscionable the ruling party.

“The connection has so sparked a important magnitude of discussion, drafting a mixed container of reactions. Supporters person lauded it for its ideological clarity successful the Nigerian governmental landscape, wherever leaders often look to deficiency steadfast principles, shifting allegiances similar a pendulum.

“On the different hand, my presumption has besides aroused criticism, with immoderate seeing the connection arsenic a menace to their governmental agendas oregon interests. Some person approached the concern with skepticism, having travel to expect a deficiency of integrity among figures successful politics, particularly erstwhile those figures are tied to spiritual leadership. There person besides been accusation manipulators, those who distort discourse and dispersed inaccuracies, whose actions punctual america that erstwhile 1 takes the “text” retired of “context,” 1 becomes a “con.” Among this past cohort are immoderate grandstanding, blinkered and self-projecting commentators who, contempt their cloak of self-righteousness, whitethorn good beryllium for sale, and presume that everyone other is similar them.

I americium not swayed by shifting nationalist opinion, whether it beryllium from critics oregon from praise singers. At the opening of my ministry, amid a flurry of attacks, the archetypal connection I preached was titled ‘Dead to Public Opinion.’ I americium not a nationalist commentator, and I bash not respond to sentiments. Left to me, I would not adjacent respond to the misconceptions. However, I americium a listener, and I worth intelligent feedback from those astir maine and from well-meaning Nigerians.

“First, I took earnestly the feedback connected my honorable admittance that the sanction ADC (the acronym of the African Democratic Congress) really reminds maine of the sanction of an hose that suffered a level clang sometime successful Nigeria’s history. To those commentators who person criticised arsenic insensitive what was thing much than a metaphor, I inquire whether, astatine immoderate constituent successful their careers, they person utilized the Titanic arsenic a metaphor to pass of pending danger.

“I besides recognize that immoderate person amplified that imagery to people governmental points and further denounce the ADC. For instance, connected Thursday, October 9, 2025, the President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, alluded to the “crash” imagery successful his statement of the ADC successful an speech connected the level of the Senate with Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro. According to the reports, Senator Akpabio, successful jubilation implicit the caller defections from different parties into the APC, said, “The umbrella is torn, Labour Party is scattered, atrocious ADC c...