SERVING Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential aspirant, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has disclaimed a report doing the rounds on social media that he has endorsed Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying that he has done no such thing as he had refused to step down for the ex-Lagos governor even at the APC national convention.
In a statement made available to newsmen, on Saturday, Bakare who was reacting to an alleged interview he granted to some bloggers, termed the alleged statement credited to him as a “viral but concocted and ridiculous statements credited to me, by some unscrupulous writers and bloggers.”
He denied pointedly that he endorsed Tinubu as his candidate for the 2023 poll. According to the cleric, who contested the presidential primary of APC with Tinubu, now the presidential candidate of the ruling party, the alleged claim that he accused CAN, the Christian body, of wanting to lure APC into presenting a weak candidate or that he accused CAN of being politicians who behaved like PDP.
The statement reads in part: “My attention has been drawn to the viral but concocted and ridiculous statements credited to me, by some unscrupulous writers and bloggers.
“Amongst other things, I was quoted to have said that the agitations by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, were ploys by the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to force a weak candidate on APC.
“In addition to this, I was alleged to have said that CAN wanted to lure APC into presenting a weak candidate. The spurious writers also alleged that I stressed that Christians are righteous people who behave like Christ, and that CAN are politicians who behave like PDP.
“As if the poorly strewn lies were not enough, I was quoted as saying that Tinubu is my candidate. Isn’t this the same Tinubu that I announced to all and sundry at the APC Presidential Convention that I was not stepping down for? He has suddenly become my candidate!” Bakare said.
“I wish to state unequivocally that the statements are absolute lies,” the cleric declared.
The APC president aspirant, while insisting on all the statements contained in the said video or audio being absolute lies, said there was no where he granted anyone any interview, or preached on any platform, where he uttered “the ludicrous statements”.
This was just as he challenge anyone who is in possession of the video or audio file of the statements to please put it in the public space, noting that he remained a nation builder who would not in any way create real or imaginary division among the people of Nigeria through the medium of political parties or religion.
“There was no where I granted anyone any interview, or preached on any platform, where I said the ludicrous statements. I challenge anyone who is in possession of the video or audio file of the statements to please put it in the public space.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am a nation builder who will not in any way create real or imaginary division among the people of our great country, through the medium of political parties or religion,” he said.
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Bakare, therefore, urged everyone to disregard the alleged statements, maintaining that they were not his, and do not in any way represented his position.
According to the man of God, such was part of the lying propaganda of the mischievous ones seeking approval by deceit and at all costs, warning that peddlers “will definitely have their day in court” should they refuse to desist from their highly condemnable acts.
“I therefore use this medium to ask everyone to disregard the alleged statements. The statements are not mine, and do not in any way represent my position.
“This is part of the lying propaganda of the mischievous ones seeking approval by deceit and at all costs. “If the peddlers of this deliberate falsehood don’t desist from their highly condemnable acts, they will definitely have their day in court,” he warned.
“Enough is enough,” he further warned.
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