My politics experience, was an eye opener - Pastor Bakare

[emezico]

The Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly and vice presidential candidate of the ongress for Progressive Change, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said he has no regrets over his political experience and he is not bitter either.

He made this known at a press conference after the Sunday service of the church in Lagos, where he disclosed that his experiences opened his eyes to what was right and why good people should take active part in politics for the benefit of Nigerians.

He said even though he would no longer take part in activism, he would still support other activists and where necessary, he would march with other civil rights activists.

The cleric said he would concentrate his efforts on intellectual based opposition by rebuilding the CPC, denying that the party was divided and might disintegrate.

Bakare said, "I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by saying my activism days are over," he said. "In any way I can, I will continue to work with them. I did my last march during the Lagos/Abuja one. I have seen the way they wasted genuine Nigerians in this country. I have seen how they waste Nigerians who put in everything and lost it. I have found that you cannot change Nigeria without a measure of political power. I will continue in social re-engineering through full participation in the political process. There is no going back."

Speaking on the post-election violence, he said the CPC presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, should not be blamed for the killings.

He said, "In a private conversation with me prior to that, Gen Buhari told me 'these people might be looking for a revolution but they'll not use me. Don't forget, he has been a Head of State and a general in the army so he understands the complexities. These violence have been happening all these years and he is not interested in bloodletting. But he knew it could happen. You say his body language prompted it, there was nothing he said that other politicians didn't say. It is not so at all. He didn't even want court action because of his experience in 2003 and 2007. We prevailed on him to let the party do it."

Bakare also spoke about the CPC election petition in court. He said the most important thing that has happened was that the court had given them the chance to examine the ballot papers and subject them to forensic test.



Source: The Punch