Pastor Tunde Bakare of the Citadel Global Community Church has stated that the late former President Muhammadu Buhari was not a religious fundamentalist, contrary to popular belief.

In an interview on Channels TV's Politics Today program on Monday, Bakare said, “I thought he was a religious fundamentalist until I came close.

Bakare, who was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), shared an encounter during the campaign season.

“After the flag off of our campaign in Kaduna, we rode in the same car, we got home to his place and he staggered, the next word he spoke, God is my witness, was ‘Jesus Christ of Nazareth,’” Bakare said while recounting his personal experience with the late Buhari.

“And I said, ‘General, what is that?’ He said, ‘You do not have the monopoly of Jesus Christ, I’m thanking God,’”

According to Bakare, the former president surrounded himself with Christians.

“He just said that, and then I found out that his bodyguards were all Christians. Not only that, his driver of 10 years asked me to pray with him and I said, ‘I don’t pray Islamic prayers,’ and he said, ‘I’m a Christian, sir.’”

The former Nigerian leader passed away on Sunday in London around 4:30 p.m. following a prolonged illness. He will be buried on Tuesday in Daura, Katsina State, at 2 p.m., in a state funeral coordinated by a Federal Government committee approved by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu approved the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Committee to oversee the planning and coordination of a state funeral for the late former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The committee, to be chaired by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, is tasked with delivering a befitting burial ceremony for the former president, who passed away on Sunday.

According to a statement signed by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Segun Imohiosen, the committee includes several key ministers and top security officials.

Among them are the Ministers of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Defence, Information and National Orientation, Works, Interior, FCT, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Social Welfare (State), and Culture and Creative Economy.

Imohiosen said the Office of the Permanent Secretary, General Services Office (GSO), will serve as the secretariat for the committee.

"In honour of the late President Muhammadu Buhari, President Tinubu has also directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to open condolence registers at the entrance of their respective offices for the public to pay their respects to the late Elder Statesman,” the statement said.

“Additionally, a central condolence register for the diplomatic community and the general public will be opened at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja. Further briefings will follow as the days unfold.”

Earlier, Tinubu’s administration announced July 15 as a public holiday.

This was disclosed in a press statement signed by Dr. Magdalene Ajani, who is the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry.