By Jose Oby 
In a fiery state-of-the-nation address, former presidential aspirant and prominent cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare, delivered a stinging critique of President Bola Tinubu’s growing influence over Nigeria’s National Assembly, accusing him of eroding the separation of powers and steering the country toward authoritarianism.
Speaking from the pulpit of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC) in Lagos on Sunday, Bakare declared that Nigeria is “too delicate for this kind of politics,” warning that the unhealthy fusion of the executive and legislative arms of government under Tinubu’s leadership is a threat to democracy.
“This Is Not Democracy. This Is State Capture.”
Bakare lamented that the 10th National Assembly has become an extension of the presidency rather than an independent check on executive power.
“Mr. President, it is through your influence that the Nigerian National Assembly has become a haven for legislative rascality,” he asserted.
He referenced the controversial approval of a state of emergency in Rivers State, the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, and other actions he described as signs of legislative subservience and executive overreach.
“This National Assembly, the Tenth, has by its unconstitutional endorsement of the president’s abuse of powers proven to be the most spineless in our recent history,” Bakare stated. “It has, in effect, become the 48th member of the president’s cabinet.”
In a sharp rebuke of the president’s political style, he took aim at Tinubu’s long-standing “Emi Lo Kan” (“It’s my turn”) mantra, suggesting it has morphed into a philosophy of entitlement and unchecked control.
“If this state capture was what you meant by ‘Emi lo kan’, it is an anti-climax that can only be counterproductive in the end,” Bakare said.
“Please, Stop Playing God”
Bakare’s most striking statement came as a personal plea—and a warning.
“Mr. President, no man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power. Please, stop playing God.”
He also criticized the president’s alleged favoritism and excessive indulgence toward certain political allies, including labeling a current minister as “a third-term governor in Rivers State”—a veiled reference to the ongoing political impasse and power tussle in the state.