How late Awujale facilitated formation of APC—Bakare

…Says leaders should reflect on Buhari, Awujale’s death

By Dapo Akinrefon

SERVING Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, CGCC, Pastor Tunde Bakare, yesterday, narrated how the Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, facilitated the formation of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the eventual emergence of former President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s candidate in 2014.

Bakare said this during a special service held in honour of former President Muhammadu Buhari and Oba Adetona following their deaths on Sunday, July 13, 2025.

Speaking on the theme ‘A major shift in the national landscape’, held at the church auditorium in Oregun, Lagos, the fiery televangelist urged the present crop of leaders to reflect on the legacy left behind by Buhari and Oba Adetona that “the giant of Africa cannot stand on one leg.”

On how the Awujale convened a meeting that led to the formation of the APC, he said: “What many Nigerians may not know is that without the Awujale’s pivotal intervention, the All Progressives Congress, APC, might not have emerged as a political party. After the 2011 general elections, in which I served as running mate to then-General Muhammadu Buhari under the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, I approached Kabiyesi in London. I urged him to speak with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was then the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, about the possibility of a merger between our political platforms to form a united and formidable opposition to the ruling People’s Democratic Party, PDP. Upon his return to Nigeria, Kabiyesi convened a key meeting at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island and brokered the agreement that led to the formation of the APC. Even at that, Kabiyesi was non-partisan, supporting any course he thought would facilitate good governance, strengthen the national interest, foster peace and further the course of building a united Nigeria. He remained, to the very end, an elder statesman, a patriot, a mentor, a loyal friend, and a rare gift to this nation. He was a man of uncommon wisdom and a strong sense of justice.”

While paying glowing tributes to the two leaders, Bakare said there can hardly be a replacement for Buhari and Oba Sikiru.

His words: “On Sunday, July 13, 2025, I received the shocking news of the passing away of Nigeria’s former president, my former principal and dear friend, elder statesman and compatriot, President Muhammadu Buhari. Just as I was processing the sad news and solemnly reflecting on his life and times while trying to manage the flurry of calls from various stakeholders, including the press and political associates, I received the equally painful news of the passing away of Kabiyesi Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebu Land.

“I found myself pondering the fact that both leaders exited the same day. The moment became even more significant when I considered the fact that the Awujale played a facilitatory role in the process that eventually enabled General Muhammadu Buhari’s emergence as Nigeria’s president after many unsuccessful attempts. I found it deeply telling that these two leaders, having been, in a manner of speaking, partners in destiny on this side of eternity, exited the planet on the same day. It became even more personally significant for me because both leaders died on July 13, 2025, exactly 52 years from July 13, 1973, the day I left Abeokuta with my portmanteau on my head, enroute to Hughes Avenue in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, in search of the Golden Fleece.

“The passing of these two great men on July 13 became personally significant for me because it reminded me that, years after taking that step of faith, at various points in my life, God strategically positioned destiny facilitators in line with His plans for my life, and by extension, for our nation. At various points and in diverse ways, these two men became instrumental in facilitating my journey through the path that God mapped out for me.”

Recalling his first encounter with the Ijebu monarch, Bakare said: “I will never forget my first personal encounter with him—an experience that revealed his extraordinary fairness and discernment. As a young preacher holding a crusade in Ijebu Ode in the early 1990s, our gathering was suddenly invaded by an angry mob led by a masquerade named Obirin Ojowu. The masquerade was knocked down by the power of God. In anger, his supporters rushed to the palace, demanding that Kabiyesi stop the crusade. But he refused. He said, ‘If the organisers did not push the masquerade down, but the power of God did, then these are the kind of people we need in Ijebu Ode.’ That moment left a lasting impression on me.”

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