The founder of Citadel Global Community Church, Dr. Tunde Bakare, has revealed that he is facing mounting pressure from political stakeholders to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), but he insists he remains committed to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bakare made this known on Saturday during the inaugural edition of the Citadel School of Governance Dialogue Series, themed “Nigeria at 65: Historical Reflections, Futuristic Projection”, held at the church premises in Oregun, Lagos.

According to the cleric and politician, several high-profile individuals have approached him in recent times—both in Nigeria and while abroad—urging him to defect to the ADC and lend his voice to the party’s platform.

“There has been a lot of pressure on me from who is who to join ADC. They come to my home. Even while I was abroad, the hierarchy of that party kept calling, saying they needed my voice,” Bakare disclosed.

He added that one of his close political associates, who previously held key positions under the APC, also encouraged him to consider the move.

Despite the pressure, Bakare categorically ruled out any defection to the ADC, stressing that he would not be part of any initiative that could undermine the party he helped build.

“I am not going to take part in ADC. The last time I knew about ADC was about a plane that crashed. I wish them well, because we need a robust opposition,” he said.

“But you don’t birth a child called APC and then try to kill it yourself. We are not going to have another Awolowo–Akintola crisis in the South-West,” he added, referencing the political rivalry that fractured the Western Region during the First Republic.

Bakare, who once ran as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2011 under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the legacy parties that formed the APC, maintained that the emergence of President Bola Tinubu was not accidental.

“If God wants to remove ‘Emilokan,’ He knows how to do it. You can’t get the kind of thing Tinubu has brought without God’s support,” he said, using Tinubu’s popular campaign slogan.

Also speaking at the event, former Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Professor Akinjide Osuntokun, identified corruption and tribalism as the two biggest challenges hindering Nigeria’s progress.

“The two problems our country faces are corruption and tribalism. If these two evils are eradicated, Nigeria will progress. Corruption is the father or mother of tribalism,” Osuntokun said.

He argued that national development, not ethnic representation, should be the measure of leadership success.

“The fact that Tinubu is president does not automatically improve the life of an average Yoruba man, just as an Igbo presidency will not improve the life of the ordinary Igbo man without development,” he noted.

The dialogue series aims to engage thought leaders, policymakers, and the public on Nigeria’s political future, especially as the country marks 65 years of independence.