Apologise For Your Prophecy On Igbo Presidency, Eastern Union Tells Pastor Bakare

The Eastern Union, Thursday, described the claims by Pastor Tunde Bakare that the Igbo race was cursed from becoming Nigeria’s president as unfortunate.

Charles Anike, national president of the union, told our correspondent in Enugu that Mr Bakare should apologise to the Igbo nation over his comments.

He said, “The pulpit is a place of healing and harmony. It’s not a place to preach hatred against a tribe or race. It’s also not a place to incite some people against another.

“The case of Tunde Bakare, a self-acclaimed man of God, is one too many. Can Tunde Bakare say that what he preached recently was revealed to him by God, or it was mere fiction?

“Bakare is no where found in the archives of Nigeria’s history. He needs to tell Nigerians how and where he got his facts.

“This act of blasphemy against the Igbo is unacceptable. As an acclaimed preacher, l expected Mr Bakare’s massages to be devoid of conjectures, hearsays and rumours.

“The National Broadcasting Commission should have categorised the Bakare massage, entitled ‘Why lgbos cannot be President’ as a hate speech.

“Their silence is however surprising and suspicious, except Mr Bakare was reading a script calculated to narrow chances of the Igbo from producing the next president of Nigeria.”

Anike advised Bakare to ‘swallow his pride, forfeit whatever hidden agenda, and tender apologies to the Igbo for inciting other Nigerians against them’.

Bakare, general overseer, Citadel Global Community Church, Lagos, had said to his congregation that the Igbo were caused by the late Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa before he was killed during the 1966 military coup led by majors Emmanuel Ifeajuna and KC Nzeogwu.

He said, “Why should anyone in this country say the Igbo man cannot be president of Nigeria? I was in Imo State and I told them the reason why the Igbo cannot rule Nigeria and I want to remove the curse today.

“The day Tafawa Balewa was killed, they removed his turban, poured wine on his head, forced him to drink and shot him. In the process, he cursed them saying, ‘none of your tribe will ever rule Nigeria’.

“I want to break the curse today because this generation of Igbo was not part of those people. By the authority of God’s word, I reverse the curse of Tafawa Balewa over the Igbo generation. Henceforth, the Igbo will have access to the throne like any other Nigerian.”