Former Transport Minister and Board of Trustees (BoT) member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ebenezer Babatope, in this interview with Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, speaks on the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, PDP’s comeback moves among other contending national issues.
Difficulties in the land and vindication of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s earlier position that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks focus
I must confess that the difficulties are very grave. It appears to me that the APC government has not found any answer to this problem. When President Goodluck Jonathan was there, it was easy for them to apportion blames and criticise and say that we were having economic problem because the PDP created it. But then, despite the challenges and difficulties that we had, PDP government was able to manage the situation. Nigerians were still soldiering on and able to manage and conduct their lives. Nigerians were able to fend for themselves because of the environment created. Today, it is so difficult and hellish. It has been quite hard for Nigerians surviving this hardship.
I want to appeal to the APC leadership to sit down and find solution to this alarming level of poverty and hunger in the land and save Nigeria from this terrible economic mess.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, one year after
The only thing I can say of the President Buhari regime is that Buhari is not a corrupt person. That is quite clear to me. But when you remove that ,there is nothing else complimentary I can say about Buhari and the APC regime. The last one year has been chaotic. Nigerians are suffering and are battling it hard with their lives. Something must be done very urgently to save our country. We have never had it so bad.
On-going anti-corruption crusade
I don’t see any anti-corruption war going on, given that Buhari has reneged on his promise to name those who have returned money. He is saying they don’t want to offend the law ,and I ask: which law are they offending? If a man has stolen money and returned money, you must mention his name. Let the person come out and say that he or she did not return money because he felt guilty. How can one return money if he or she is not guilty of any crime, and you say you don’t want to name names? To me, it is an attempt by the APC leadership to dodge issues. We should name those who have soiled their hands with corruption. We should ensure that there is freedom for all and anybody is cleared of any charge of selective justice. What is going on is selective justice. If the law finds an accused, the person is taken to the court for trial. If the accused is free, the court will set the person free. You are defending the cause of people who returned money and you are saying you don’t want to mention their names, you don’t want them to say anything. Mention the names of people that returned money, and let them say something; let them go to court to ascertain their innocence or to ascertain that they are not corrupt. So that is why I cannot see any anti-corruption battle going on. To me, what is going on is a charade. They have embarked on selective justice and that should not be so. They have to be fair to all. Saying that they don’t want to name names, they don’t want the accused to talk, for me, is a careless talk.
Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, said Nigeria is broke…
If, as they claim, PDP messed up the treasury, how did the regime of APC get money to bail out some states who were unable to pay salaries? Yes we have economic problems and Nigeria has been having economic problems, but it had not been as grave as it is today. All I am saying is that the APC should find solution to the problems on hand; it should stop passing the buck and continue to blame the PDP endlessly.
When Jonathan was there, yes we had problems too, but we looked for solution. We were able to forge ahead and did not continue to bemoan the military. APC should stop passing the buck; rather, they should face the matter on the ground squarely. For now, they have not got the solution to the economic problems and they must admit it. And as somebody suggested, they can assemble the best of Nigerians who can give them solution to these problems. We have great economic experts who can bail them out from the mess on the ground. Blaming the PDP is a very lazy way of showcasing incompetence. They must rise up to the challenge.
PDP, Makarfi care-taker committee and the way forward
At least, we are seeing the solution to the crisis in sight. I am happy about that. All we had been saying was that we could not permit a situation whereby our party, the PDP, was left in the hands of a stranger. Ali Modu-Sherriff has not offended anybody. We were in the same United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) during the late General Sani Abacha era, and I know him very well. Sherriff is a stranger to our organisation. I am not saying that he wants to rule forever. We thank God that we now have a solution and we must ensure we leverage on this solution to take the party to the next level.
I am happy that the solution to the crisis is in sight and PDP is finding ways to resolve everything to make sure there is permanent peace. So, we must seize this opportunity which, to me, is very important.
Sherriff’s group working against the interest of the party from the background
Which Sherriff faction? Almost all members of the National Working Committee (NWC), maybe except one, have left him (Sherriff) and aligned with the party. So, he hasn’t got any faction. If he had taken advice, he would have still been the acting chairman and would have laid a good legacy for himself. He wants to be chairman and when the time comes, the presidential candidate. Which type of party is that? Our party is not that of where anything goes. It is not for senseless people. It is one that would want to defend democracy. I am happy with what has happened because it is in the general interest of the party. With what has happened, PDP will come out more united and stronger.
PDP and agenda to wrest power from the APC in 2019
We are very determined to do so. We made mistakes, we have seen our mistakes and we have learnt from our mistakes. This mistake culminated in the APC winning the election and messing up all that we have built. We want to take the power back and ensure that Nigerians are saved from the heavy sufferings we are now exposed to. We are prepared to ensure that come 2019, power flows back to the North. It is in our constitution. When power flows back to the North, we are going to ensure that the candidate we are going to present to Nigerians will be one that is capable and will make sure that the country is saved from what we are having now. We are positioning the party for a take-over in 2019 and we are serious about it. We have all it takes to stage a comeback because Nigerians now know that APC is not a better alternative.
Renewed restiveness in the Niger Delta by the Niger Delta Avengers
Honestly, those who have called for dialogue are right. You see, two wrongs never make a right. We cannot blame the Niger Delta Avengers or anybody. The boys there are ready to fight to defend themselves because they feel alienated when they consider what is going on in their land. Let us dialogue with them. Let us talk to them. They are Nigerians. When Boko Haram started with their mayhem, I was among those who said we should talk to them. I said if Boko Haram did not seize the opportunity of a dialogue, the organisation will make itself irrelevant to Nigeria and to itself. We need to dialogue to get solutions to these problems.
Government is winning the war against Boko Haram
Well, I think the Army is doing its best, but the problem is that in most cases they are begging issues. When PDP was there, they said the PDP government did not know how to handle it well. But now that they are there, could anybody say they are handling it well? Boko Haram is still harassing people, killing people. Let them declare clearly that Boko Haram is a national problem and let all Nigerians contribute to its solution. If they don’t do that, we are wasting our time.
In this era of cross-carpeting to the ruling party, are we likely to see you cross over to the APC?
It is absolutely impossible for me to cross over to APC because I am a core PDP man and by the grace of God I will remain in the PDP until the very end of democracy in Nigeria or I answer the supreme call of God. Though crossing of the carpet is a matter of choice and part of democracy, I definitely will be laying a very bad example if I do so at my age. I am going to be 74 in six months’ time. So, how can I cross because we lost power? No way. I will not only be a strange element in the APC, but I will become an embarrassment to younger people who are looking at us for examples. Such thought cannot cross my mind.
