Tunde Bakare, serving overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, says there was no written agreement for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari to hand over power to him.
Bakare was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), but they lost the election.
Buhari was later elected president from 2015 to 2023. He also led the country as a military head of state from 1983 to 1985.
In 2019, Bakare hinted that he would succeed Buhari.
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Bakare had said Buhari was the 15th president, suggesting that he (Bakare) would be the next president of Nigeria.
The fiery preacher and lawyer also said, at the time, that he was building a political family from across the world, which would be deployed for future political aspirations.
Bakare had earlier said in January 2018 that politics was not over for him. He later lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket in 2022.
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Speaking during an interview with Channels Television on Monday, Bakare said Buhari gave every presidential aspirant in the APC a fair opportunity to contest for the party’s ticket.
“There was no written pact between us. He is late. I will never say anything unfair about him,” Bakare said.
“He did his best. One night before the primary, he invited all the presidential aspirants. We sat with him in the conference hall of the villa.
“He said, ‘I have allowed the governors to choose who will succeed them or to go for a second term if they are going for a second term. I am asking you today to allow me to also freely choose the person I desire to succeed me.’”
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Bakare said the move was accepted by other aspirants present at the meeting, including Yemi Osinbajo, former vice-president; Mohammed Badaru, governor of Jigawa; and Ogbonnaya Onu, former minister of science and technology.
Buhari died on Sunday at the age of 82 in a London clinic.
His death has continued to attract tributes from across the country and worldwide.
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