Senior pastor of Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC) Tunde Bakare has hit out at presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu over the latter’s introduction of “emilokan” into the Nigerian political lexicon.
“Emilokan” which is a Yoruba expression meaning “it’s my turn”, was Tinubu’s rallying call while speaking to APC delegates in Ogun State in June 2022 ahead of the party’s presidential primary.
Speaking during a state of the nation broadcast at his church auditorium in Ikeja on Sunday, January 15 Bakare said politicians who practice what he described as politics of entitlement are intolerant.
In the broadcast titled ‘Bridging The Gap Between Politics & Governance’, Bakare said politics of division, deception, manipulation, elimination, and entitlement as bad forms of politics.
Without mentioning Tinubu’s name, the clergyman said politics that insists on one’s turn, even if circumstances do not align, is bad.
He said: “Politics of entitlement. This is the ‘emi lo kan’ kind of politics that insists on one’s turn, even if circumstances do not align, is bad. Politics of entitlement also manifests as perennial candidacy, not with the intent to serve, but to gratify long personal ambitions.
“It could also manifest as insistence on a given political office as a reward for what one considers a lifetime of sacrifice to the nation.”
He continued, “Politicians with a sense of entitlement evade political debates and do not consider it imperative to communicate with the electorate.”
“Entitlement politics will breed an imperial presidency that is distant from the people and has no sense of responsibility or accountability to the people. Such imperial governance will slide towards dictatorship and will be intolerant of dissent”, he concluded.
Bakare and 14 others contested the APC presidential ticket at the party’s Special National Convention in Abuja in June.
Tinubu won the primary with a total of 1,271 votes.
Former Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Vice president Yemi Osinbajo came second and third respectively with 316 and 235 votes.
Bakare got zero votes.
