The Senate on Tuesday strongly criticized Pastor Tunde Bakare, Senior Pastor and Serving Overseer of the Global Community Citadel Church, for his recent comments about the 10th National Assembly, saying the cleric had “crossed the line.”
The Senate’s response came through a statement by the Chairman of its Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu, issued in Abuja.
Bakare, who was a contender in the All Progressives Congress presidential primaries against President Bola Tinubu in 2022, had during his Easter State-of-the-Nation address in Lagos accused the President of turning the Assembly into “a haven for legislative rascality,” comparing it to the 48th member of the cabinet.
He also condemned the state of emergency in Rivers State, which he said was supported by the National Assembly, and decried rising insecurity, highlighting recent killings in Plateau, Benue, and Enugu states.
In response, Adaramodu described the cleric’s statements as broad, disparaging, and politically charged. He said, “We view his corrosive criticisms of the National Assembly as a biased and political ecumenical homily.”
He added that the Assembly would not respond to issues already before the courts, in line with its respect for the judiciary and rule of law.
Adaramodu acknowledged that legislative-executive tensions can be part of democratic checks and balances but stressed that using personal or ideological frustrations to attack the institution was unfair and harmful to democratic development.
While affirming Bakare’s right to express his views, the Senate spokesman insisted the remarks were filled with “aspersions and unsubstantiated claims,” prompting the Senate’s response to prevent misinformation.
He pointed to instances where the Assembly had disagreed with the executive, including on parts of the emergency rule in Rivers State mentioned by Bakare. Adaramodu also rejected the cleric’s comparison of the current Assembly with the one that resisted the Third Term agenda under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The executive has never presented any unconstitutional proposal to the 10th Assembly—unlike the infamous Third Term agenda, which Pastor Bakare wrongly used as a standard,” he stated.
Adaramodu concluded by calling for national conversations based on truth and respect. “Nigeria’s challenges demand dialogue rooted in truth and mutual respect—not divisive rhetoric that weakens faith in democratic institutions. The Senate is open to engaging with all Nigerians, including Pastor Bakare, in a spirit of constructive dialogue,” he said.
