Easter Sermon: ‘Tunde Bakare is not a pastor, he’s a bitter, defeated rival coveting Tinubu’s position’ – Reno Omokri

Reno Omokri has responded sharply to Pastor Tunde Bakare’s recent criticisms of President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, accusing the clergyman of speaking out of personal bitterness rather than as a spiritual leader. Bakare, in a sermon delivered to his congregation on April 20, 2025, heavily criticized President Tinubu’s style of governance, calling it a “motorpark brand of politics” and claiming that the President had reduced the National Assembly to a body that only serves his interests.

In a counter-argument shared on his Instagram page, Omokri suggested that Bakare’s remarks stem from his ongoing resentment over his defeat in the 2022 APC Presidential primary. He reminded followers that Bakare had contested the presidential ticket against Tinubu and received zero votes. Omokri contended that Bakare’s criticisms should not be viewed as objective or pastoral, but rather as those of a “defeated and bitter rival” who desires the position currently held by Tinubu.

Omokri further drew a comparison to a rivalry in the music industry, likening Bakare’s bitterness to that of Kanye West, who has publicly criticized Taylor Swift following a perceived injustice at the Grammy Awards. He argued that just as West cannot be expected to speak favorably of Swift, Bakare, who once claimed that heaven had destined him to become Nigeria’s sixteenth president, is unlikely to accept that Tinubu now holds that position. Omokri also reminded the public of Bakare’s earlier controversial claims, including his assertion in 2006 that the Holy Spirit had told him that Muhammadu Buhari was part of Nigeria’s “decaying past,” a statement he later contradicted when he ran alongside Buhari in the 2011 elections.

Omokri’s statement painted Bakare as a figure whose credibility was undermined by his previous missteps and personal ambitions, questioning his integrity as a spiritual leader.