Election 2015: Pastor Tunde Bakare Calls For Postponement Of Polls

Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, Tunde Bakare, has joined the league of men of God who have been foretelling the fate of this year’s general elections, with a damning prediction that the country was heading into a major storm which could threaten its existence if the 2015 polls are conducted in February. He called for the suspension of the elections billed to take place in 6 weeks if the activities of Boko Haram activities are not curtailed. He further cited certain fundamental flaws in the polity which he said must be addressed before thinking of conducting the general polls.

Speaking during the first new year service at his Ikeja church, in what he termed “The State of the Nation Broadcast” yesterday, Bakare urged Nigerians to cross check properly whether it would not be hypocritical to feign ignorance regarding the foreboding state of the nation and proceed with the elections.

“Can we not see the clouds gathering ahead of a major storm? Warning! There is too much turbulence ahead! A competent helmsman knows not to sail in such a situation instead of ignoring the weather forecast only to subsequently shipwreck, kill himself, the crew and the passengers, as well as destroy the ship and cargo! 

“In like manner, the journey of the ship of the Nigerian state has thus far been difficult and we have largely been drifting under the influence of the winds. It is clear that a great storm lies ahead as we are approaching elections without addressing the fundamental flaws in the polity”.
“I must also warn that if we sail into general elections at this time without fixing the fundamentals, no matter what precaution is taken by the helmsman and the owner of the ship, once the ship sets sail from Fair Havens, an encounter with Euroclydon would be inevitable”  

“The argument against this would be the notion that the country is not at war. If indeed the country is not at war, how can one explain the invasion and annexation of Nigerian territory by insurgents launching attacks from our borders and neighbouring countries?Therefore, I submit that if the President considers that a part of the federation will be disenfranschised by reason of the Boko Haram plague, a postponement of the election may not be out of place. 

“In my view, the litmus test to arrive at the type of war contemplated by the constitution is the practicality of getting people in the affected states to line up to vote for candidates of their choice in situations where they cannot predict when the next attack will be launched by insurgents. I hold the view that the drafters of the law feared for mass disenfranchisement of Nigerians who will refuse to risk their lives, hence the requirement that the nation wins the war before conducting an election”. 

“Since the government has demonstrated a very high degree of incompetence as far as combatting terrorism, is it not better to have a replacement, particularly in terms of a new government led by the person of the APC candidate, General Buhari, which can only happen through elections? This reasoning seems valid, for though the president has made several attempts at tackling the issue, his avowed political will has not yielded fruit and the situation has only worsened. It is perhaps too complicated for him to deal with.

“But what is the guarantee that there will be free, fair and credible elections and the opposition will not be rigged out of victory once again? What is the guarantee that the power of incumbency will not successfully manipulate the presidential elections?
“Even if General Buhari wins, what would happen if, in response to a Buhari victory, another wave of insurgency explodes in the South-South in such proportion that will completely ground the Nigerian economy? Is that what we want as a nation?” 

“Rather, he should, within the period, commit himself to building a non-partisan coalition comprised of major stakeholders and competent statesmen from each geopolitical zone. This coalition, headed by the president, will constitute a combined force that will tackle terrorism and address what I have earlier referred to as the fundamentals, within a time frame of two years or less”. 

“If you must know, my political loyalty lies with General Buhari and I cannot claim not to know the issues surrounding the APC Primary and the processes that led to the selection of his current running mate Nevertheless, this broadcast is about the counsel of the Most High who rules in the affairs of men and gives rulership to whoever He wills”.
“In any case, we need not go into those socio-economic realities that challenge the bogus claims of economic growth; let us simply dwell in the realm of economic statistics with which experts have often attempted to blind the eyes of Nigerians.” 

Source: The Leadership