GEJ’ll be making a mistake if he thinks OBJ’ll forget what divided them —Babatope

Former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who is also a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in this interview, speaks on the crisis rocking the party, the proposed mega party, President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), among other issues. BOLA BADMUS brings excerpts:

Two weeks ago, former President Goodluck Jonathan met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Some people are already speculating that the meeting was a signal that PDP is gradually coming back. Do you see anything happening in that direction?

I don’t see anything wrong if Goodluck Jonathan holds any meeting with Olusegun Obasanjo and when Obasanjo was with us in PDP, I refused to comment on him. Well, Nigerians know my position on Obasanjo; I don’t like him, but that is immaterial today. Former President Jonathan has every right in this world to go and visit whoever he wants to visit and whether you like it or not, Obasanjo is a phenomenon in this country.

But the fact must be said, PDP will be cutting itself in the feet by thinking that Obasanjo will revive its victory and glory. No. I know him very well; Obasanjo has been my friend for a long time. When Obasanjo joined others to seize power and they drove General Yakubu Gowon out of power, I was one of his friends and allies. In fact, Obasanjo took me to Angola in those days; even though we were forgotten there, but we were rescued.

So I can’t see the meeting of Jonathan with Obasanjo as something to revive the PDP. If Obasanjo wants to come back, he is free and don’t forget, Obasanjo is a survivalist and a fighter. If you think you can pull Obasanjo down, be very careful. Obasanjo has tremendous native intelligence and if you are not careful, if you want to pull him down, you may be pulling yourself down. So he understands more of national affairs, Nigerian affairs and African affairs.

Goodluck Jonathan is a nice man, but he must also be very, very careful. If he thinks Obasanjo would forget everything that divided them, Jonathan would be making mistakes. The only thing I know is that when I wanted to be the national secretary of PDP, I knew that my egbon, Obasanjo, would fight me down and he did. He fought me down and fought me out. I didn’t talk because I knew I was going to get him and I am waiting for him. I have not got the good opportunity to move against him, but I have not forgotten also.

PDP has been in a crisis which seems to be defying solution and people are already mooting the idea of forming a mega party. What are the chances of such a mega party in the country?

I know that the group that I represent, the group that all of us belong, including Bode George, we have not taken a decision to move into another party. We don’t believe in that kind of a thing. But those who moved from PDP, like I said, they know why they moved. I don’t believe in the Third Party or Second Party. I believe we should make success of what we are doing now before we can move forward. You don’t need to talk of a Third Force or Third Party. Third Party or Third Force would emerge naturally because we shall help PDP to dig its grave and put them there and bury them. And then, since we can never be idle, and since God has not taken our lives, we would still be relevant in the politics of this country and we shall move ahead and ensure that we are very forceful to articulate the wishes of the PDP.

Some people would think that this press conference is coming because the governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has just emerged as the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum. What is your take on this?

I wish Governor Fayose the best of luck; he is a young man who has been fighting. I know Ayo Fayose very well; his uncle that is the blood brother of his own mother, S. A. Brown of blessed memory, was my friend until he died. We taught in the same secondary school in Surulere in those days. So I know Ayo Fayose very, very well.  I just want to appeal to him that by becoming the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, he does not join forces with those who want to decimate PDP by bringing out all those things that can divide and destroy PDP.

With all these divisions, do you think PDP will ever come out of its present problem?

We will come out if people are honest. If people are honest, if they call a new convention, if they are not going to do what they did in Port Harcourt where some of them turned themselves into tyrants and they turned their state Government Houses to state houses of dishonour. But if they pursue the truth and follow the truth, they would save PDP from going down and they would also save this country in having a vibrant party that PDP is to ensure smooth progress for democracy in Nigeria.

Some people have looked at the crisis rocking the party and came to the conclusion that it was caused by external forces, but this is a position different from yours. Can you make further clarification?

The crisis was caused by PDP; nobody followed us to Port Harcourt [for the PDP National Convention]. We went to Port Harcourt on our own volition and when we got there. When they said Bode George should come for screening, we thought it was a genuine screening, not knowing it was not. Some young men within PDP, not from the All Progressives Congress (APC), caused the crisis. I have never in my life said APC has meddled in our affairs. If they meddled, I mean that is what politics is all about; politics is never I rub your back and your rub mine. But we were lucky all the ways until President Muhammadu Buhari used his army to intervene.

Some people have made their minds that they didn’t want a particular person. Don’t forget that before we got to Port Harcourt, we had faced a statement which said old men should be consigned into dustbins of history in PDP. The statement was not made by APC; it was made by PDP. They said no old man above the age of 70, but who will not clock ? But they said we should be wiped out. It is not APC people who said that; it was PDP people that said that.

That is why we are sounding this note of warning that, yes, of course, we are old; I would