Chief Ebenezer Babatope (OFR) a.k.a Ebino Topsy was born some 73 years ago of Ijesa parentage, Osun State, but was brought up in Ifaki Ekiti, Ekiti State. A writer, a journalist, historian, as well as a lawyer, there is no mincing words with him as he says it as he sees it. He is a full-fledged disciple of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s political philosophy. His path in politics was charted when, as Students’ Affairs Officer in the University of Lagos, he was sacked because of his ideologies by the General Olusegun Obasanjo regime. This prompted Chief Obafemi Awolowo to invite him to be the Director of Organisation of the Unity Party of Nigeria [UPN}. Babatope was a delight to watch as a party spokesman and was indeed a powerful speaker and historical analyst. A valuable member of People Democratic Part (PDP) and a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party, he was also at a time Minister of Transport. In this interview with Lekan Okeowo, Ebino Topsy spoke extensively on the crisis rocking his darling party and the way forward on a number of issues in the country. Excerpts.
What were the ideals and principles that drew you to the People’s Democratic Party?
It wasn’t the party, it was the assemblage of people who believe in Nigeria and really love Nigerians and want the best for Nigerians and who believed that Nigeria should have a proper democratic government. That was what attracted me to the party and I have been a member since 1999.
What do you have to say concerning the crisis you mentioned?
Well. I am not a supporter of Modu Sheriff who is chairman of the party now and who is definitely going to emerge as chairman of the party at the Port Harcourt convention. I am saying this because events changed within this last 24 hours when the Board of Trustees of which I am a member decided that they are going to support the convention in Port Harcourt which in turn means they were going to support him as chairman. I couldn’t attend because I had a medical emergency in Lagos. I am not his man, I will not support him and I believe that we should continue to struggle on and fight on even while recognising the democratic right of those who took the decision, the BOT members that supported him. And I believe, at the end of the day, truth will prevail and we will be victorious.
There were some statements credited to a group of ex PDP ministers that the Port Harcourt convention might be the nail in the coffin of the PDP, with all this issues unravelling, don’t you think they may be right?
I don’t want to join issues with anybody, not even with the council of ministers former or present. But what I know is that we who believe in the PDP, we who believe in the ideals of the PDP, we who believe in the principle and the alignment of the formation of the party will fight on until we are able to register our victory with the people of Nigeria and the party. So, I don’t see any date as the determining factor of what will be the fate of the PDP. All I see is that we are involved in a struggle and it will continue to go on. I have nothing against Alhaji Modu Sheriff, not at all. If anything at all, I know him very well, we were both members of the United Nigerian Congress Party during Abacha days. What I know is that we are fighting for a proper PDP based on democratic principles and on the feelings and wishes of the common Nigerian.
If the PDP splits, what faction are you going to go with?
I am going to align with the faction that stays with the party. If the convention in Port Harcourt affirms Modu Sherriff as the chairman of the party, I am going to stay with the party. Where am I going and at what age? I cannot start jumping boat at the age of 73, I believe in the PDP and I am going to stay with the PDP. I am not going to hand over my rights as a member of the PDP to other people. So, I will be there. I am going to remain a member of the party and nothing will move me out of the party. But, I will fight within the PDP for what I believe to be just, and I believe that by the end of the day, my position will be by the majority of the people.
With this recurring crisis in the party, how does the PDP hope to play the role of a credible opposition to the ruling party?
We are going to play a very credible role as an opposition party. First, we have conceded defeat, we were defeated at the elections and if you go into the analysis of why we were defeated, some of us know why we were defeated. The All Progressives Congress (APC) worked very well and cashed in on the problems in the party to wipe us out of power. Having said that, we will remain a very credible opposition, that we have problem in the party does not mean that we are not going to play our part to protect the right of the common people in Nigeria. And I can assure you that within the next six months, you are going to see a rejuvenated, reactivated PDP in the market providing credible representation to the people.
Where do you see the party in the next five years?
Oh! We will be strong, a very strong party and we will ensure that we play our role as an opposition party well and when we go for elections in 2019, we are sure that the Nigerian people will take us and vote us back into power.
Who are we likely to see as the rallying point for the party?
It is difficult to determine now because we are in the process of politicking. But by the time we approach 2018, the picture will be clearer on who and who will emerge as the rallying point of the party. But right now it is difficult to say.
On the menace of Fulani herdsmen, there are insinuations in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari is not doing enough to tackle it, what do you have to say on this?
Well, I have always being very afraid of the fact that our president, President Muhammadu Buhari, used to be the spokesperson of the herdsmen sometime ago before he got into power. I want to give you a very vivid example. When my friend, Alhaji Lam Adesina, was governor of Oyo State, our president led a delegation to him to complain about the way some Fulani herdsmen were being treated at Oke Ogun in Oyo State. It happened, it was reported in the media. But, I give a benefit of the doubt to the president that he is a good Fulani man, and no matter the case, before you can be a good Nigerian citizen, you must first be a good Fulani man, a good Yoruba man and a good Ibo man.
But, I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari was elected by Nigerians, he belongs to the APC, I belong to the PDP, but I must confess to you that there are some policies of the president that I will support and have been supporting despite the fact that we do not belong to the same party. And again, President Muhammadu Buhari and I are of the same generation. He is only one month and nine days older than me. And I want to concede to him that as a ruler, he must have some problems before him and I support him, but I must confess that what has happened in the case of the Hausa/Fulani herdsmen — that it took the President 10 months to react is very unfortunate.
A lot of people had being killed, why did we allow that to happen? Even some people have told me that the Fulani’s along the west coast of Africa are being led by President Muhammadu Buhari at one time. But he has since said that he is fully committed to ensuring that the Hausa /Fulani herdsmen exploits are caged and something is being done to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of all the carnage that we have seen in Nigeria all these months.
It wasn’t the party, it was the assemblage of people who believe in Nigeria and really love Nigerians and want the best for Nigerians and who believed that Nigeria should have a proper democratic government. That was what attracted me to the party and I have been a member since 1999.
What do you have to say concerning the crisis you mentioned?
Well. I am not a supporter of Modu Sheriff who is chairman of the party now and who is definitely going to emerge as chairman of the party at the Port Harcourt convention. I am saying this because events changed within this last 24 hours when the Board of Trustees of which I am a member decided that they are going to support the convention in Port Harcourt which in turn means they were going to support him as chairman. I couldn’t attend because I had a medical emergency in Lagos. I am not his man, I will not support him and I believe that we should continue to struggle on and fight on even while recognising the democratic right of those who took the decision, the BOT members that supported him. And I believe, at the end of the day, truth will prevail and we will be victorious.
There were some statements credited to a group of ex PDP ministers that the Port Harcourt convention might be the nail in the coffin of the PDP, with all this issues unravelling, don’t you think they may be right?
I don’t want to join issues with anybody, not even with the council of ministers former or present. But what I know is that we who believe in the PDP, we who believe in the ideals of the PDP, we who believe in the principle and the alignment of the formation of the party will fight on until we are able to register our victory with the people of Nigeria and the party. So, I don’t see any date as the determining factor of what will be the fate of the PDP. All I see is that we are involved in a struggle and it will continue to go on. I have nothing against Alhaji Modu Sheriff, not at all. If anything at all, I know him very well, we were both members of the United Nigerian Congress Party during Abacha days. What I know is that we are fighting for a proper PDP based on democratic principles and on the feelings and wishes of the common Nigerian.
If the PDP splits, what faction are you going to go with?
I am going to align with the faction that stays with the party. If the convention in Port Harcourt affirms Modu Sherriff as the chairman of the party, I am going to stay with the party. Where am I going and at what age? I cannot start jumping boat at the age of 73, I believe in the PDP and I am going to stay with the PDP. I am not going to hand over my rights as a member of the PDP to other people. So, I will be there. I am going to remain a member of the party and nothing will move me out of the party. But, I will fight within the PDP for what I believe to be just, and I believe that by the end of the day, my position will be by the majority of the people.
With this recurring crisis in the party, how does the PDP hope to play the role of a credible opposition to the ruling party?
We are going to play a very credible role as an opposition party. First, we have conceded defeat, we were defeated at the elections and if you go into the analysis of why we were defeated, some of us know why we were defeated. The All Progressives Congress (APC) worked very well and cashed in on the problems in the party to wipe us out of power. Having said that, we will remain a very credible opposition, that we have problem in the party does not mean that we are not going to play our part to protect the right of the common people in Nigeria. And I can assure you that within the next six months, you are going to see a rejuvenated, reactivated PDP in the market providing credible representation to the people.
Where do you see the party in the next five years?
Oh! We will be strong, a very strong party and we will ensure that we play our role as an opposition party well and when we go for elections in 2019, we are sure that the Nigerian people will take us and vote us back into power.
Who are we likely to see as the rallying point for the party?
It is difficult to determine now because we are in the process of politicking. But by the time we approach 2018, the picture will be clearer on who and who will emerge as the rallying point of the party. But right now it is difficult to say.
On the menace of Fulani herdsmen, there are insinuations in some quarters that President Muhammadu Buhari is not doing enough to tackle it, what do you have to say on this?
Well, I have always being very afraid of the fact that our president, President Muhammadu Buhari, used to be the spokesperson of the herdsmen sometime ago before he got into power. I want to give you a very vivid example. When my friend, Alhaji Lam Adesina, was governor of Oyo State, our president led a delegation to him to complain about the way some Fulani herdsmen were being treated at Oke Ogun in Oyo State. It happened, it was reported in the media. But, I give a benefit of the doubt to the president that he is a good Fulani man, and no matter the case, before you can be a good Nigerian citizen, you must first be a good Fulani man, a good Yoruba man and a good Ibo man.
But, I believe that President Muhammadu Buhari was elected by Nigerians, he belongs to the APC, I belong to the PDP, but I must confess to you that there are some policies of the president that I will support and have been supporting despite the fact that we do not belong to the same party. And again, President Muhammadu Buhari and I are of the same generation. He is only one month and nine days older than me. And I want to concede to him that as a ruler, he must have some problems before him and I support him, but I must confess that what has happened in the case of the Hausa/Fulani herdsmen — that it took the President 10 months to react is very unfortunate.
A lot of people had being killed, why did we allow that to happen? Even some people have told me that the Fulani’s along the west coast of Africa are being led by President Muhammadu Buhari at one time. But he has since said that he is fully committed to ensuring that the Hausa /Fulani herdsmen exploits are caged and something is being done to ensure that we don’t have a repeat of all the carnage that we have seen in Nigeria all these months.
