The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, told his congregation, on Sunday, that he warned against the ‘Emi l’okan‘ kind of politics.
‘Emi l’okan‘, a Yoruba saying, meaning ‘It’s my turn,’ became very popular when it was used by President Bola Tinubu during his 2023 pre-election campaign.
Pastor Bakare, during a State of the Nation broadcast, at the church, in Ikeja, Lagos State, said ‘Emi l’okan’ was a tendency of authoritarianism.
During his speech themed ‘Vice, Virtue & Time: Three Things That Never Stand Still,’ the cleric said, “I’m reminded of the warning that I sounded to Nigerians in January 2023 in my address titled, ‘Bridging the gap between politics and governance.
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“I warned that the politics of entitlement; the ’Emi l’okan’ type of politics would breed an imperium presidency, one that would slide towards dictatorship and would be intolerant of dissent.”
The clergyman’s comments were regarding the arrest, detention and prosecution of the suspended Central Bank Governor (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, as well as the detention of the former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The DSS had arrested Mr. Emefiele, in June, which according to the spokesperson of the security agency, Mr. Peter Afunanya, “was on the strength of suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution.”
The Federal High Court, in Lagos State, last Thursday, fixed August 15, to hear an application by Mr. Emefiele seeking to halt his trial by the Federal Government through the DSS.
Reacting, Pastor Bakare said, “The actions of the DSS have raised concerns about professionalism and adherence to the rule of law.
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“The reported invasion of the premises of the EFCC and the handling of the case of Emefiele have sparked discussions regarding the need for due process and equitable application of justice.
“The handling of the Emefiele case has sent a signal to the world and the current President’s disposition to the war against corruption.”
The cleric said the war against corruption by the present administration was like making some people scapegoats by virtue of them being “political adversaries while various other major enemies of Nigeria remain untouched.”
He said Mr. Emefiele, if found culpable, should be prosecuted, adding that the suspended CBN governor might have made a wrong call in the management of the monetary affairs of the country, but he should not be made a scapegoat because he could not have acted without presidential authorisation.
