Tunde Bakare

About Tunde Bakare

The Running Mate was still making headlines when Tunde Bakare stepped away from the pulpit to answer a political call in 2011.

Olusegun Ayokunle Bakare was born on November 11, 1954. He chose the law first, studying at the University of Lagos during a time when Nigeria needed young minds in courtrooms. He practiced law and built his own firm. But the calling shifted beneath him.

By the late 1980s, Bakare had moved into the Deeper Life Bible Church as a legal adviser. The transition from law to ministry was deliberate. He sought spiritual work alongside his legal expertise. The combination didn't last long. Something else was pulling at him.

Bakare moved to the Redeemed Christian Church of God and became a pastor there. He founded the Model Parish and grew his congregation. But institutional structures began to feel restrictive. In 2002, he left to establish the Latter Rain Assembly Church, where he built an independent ministry focused on prophetic and apostolic teachings.

His reputation as a prophetic voice grew loud across Nigeria. In 2011, presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari selected Bakare as his running mate. The election brought national attention to the pastor's political vision. Buhari and Bakare lost that race, but the alliance kept Bakare's name in circulation during crucial political moments.

Bakare has never shied from controversy. He has criticized Nigeria's leadership publicly and sharply. His comments on Muslims and other spiritual leaders have sparked fierce debate. Critics called him inflammatory. Supporters saw him as unafraid to speak truth.

In 2019, Bakare announced his intention to run for president himself. He had his eyes set on the 2023 election, planning to lead Nigeria after Buhari's second term ended. The announcement positioned him as a potential force in national politics. Whether the pulpit or the presidency would claim more of his time remained uncertain.

Today, Tunde Bakare stands as both a religious leader and a political figure. He represents the intersection of spiritual authority and electoral ambition in modern Nigeria. His journey from law to ministry to presidential aspiration traces the path of a man unwilling to accept a single ceiling.