Where is the Pastor in Pastor Tunde Bakare?

Tunde Bakare is a remarkable figure to the people of Latter Rain Assembly, to the people of Save Nigeria Group, and maybe perhaps, to some group/category of people of Nigeria. He has put himself in the fore-front of many protest in the country and made more remarkable comments and statements than any politician i know of, the recent being asking President Goodluck Jonathan to honourably resign before the House of Representative returns from their break.

Over the past political years, i have carefully followed and studied the lines and ideology of Bakare’s political statements and actions, not too many of them are impressive or inspiring, and today, i ask the question, where is the Pastor in Pastor Tunde Bakare? A Pastor is not just an ordained personality, he’s also a leader, a leader people look up to for spiritual uplifting and moral boosting. I remember few years ago, many Nigerians called upon Church leaders to take active role in politics, which was a welcome idea. Nobody is against Church leaders(Pastors) joining politics, am not against that. But what am against is joining politics and playing the game in no different way with the typical politician.

During the presidential campaign, Bakare took the stage of his Latter Rain Assembly Church, together with his congregations, chanting “Up Up Jesus and Down Down Jonathan”, only God himself knows what that means. After the election, when the post-presidential election violence sets in, it took the strength of the public and the media to get Bakare to condemn the killings of innocent people, and when he finally did, he said and i quote “Today, since i have found time, i have come to speak…”. Can you imagine a man of God struggling to find time before condemning evil and bloodbath. Bakare was busy blaming the media and affirming IBB’s statement of CPC not being responsible for the killings, and trying to get Nigerians to believe that PDP had a fair share in the violence…where is the pastor in this personality?

We all have the right to criticize any government at any time of the day, i criticize the government when things are not done right. But we have to draw the line between freedom of speech and irresponsibility. It is irresponsible for leaders, let alone religious leader, to call for violence, it is irresponsible for a religious leader to mount the podium of his Church and chant war-songs, it is irresponsible for religious leader to struggle to find time to condemn evil(even if it is perpetrated by the political party he/she supports).
If Bakare wants to play dirty politics, he should go ahead and remove the pastor attached to his name so he can be of equal yoke with a typical politician. Many in your Church Bakare, look up to you, do not mislead them.