Many years after he exited the scene, the foremost political icon in the South-West, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, came alive in the current political discourse as one of his notable disciples and former Aviation minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said the late sage would never have belonged to the camp of the All Progressives Congress, APC, were he to be alive.
Babatope also has a word of advice for the present day politicians who are in the habit of defecting from one party to the other. On Senator Ahmed Tinubu, he said was an expert in rendering people politically ‘useless’.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain also disclosed that though he recognised the huge influence of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he still took former Deputy National Chairman (South) of PDP, Chief Olabode Goerge, as the leader of the party in the South- West and one who possessed the key to the unity of the party in the zone.
Speaking to the Sunday Mirror over the weekend in Abuja, the former Aviation minister when asked if Awolowo would prefer APC to PDP if he were to be alive, said that, “Papa would never be part of the APC and as a matter of fact Papa told us clearly that 1983 would be his last participation in any electoral contest. So Papa definitely, if he were to be alive, would not go to any party.”
When reminded that APC was mainly dominated by the leading South-West politicians who were formerly of the Action Congress of Nigeria (APC), he asked rather rhetorically, “Is APC an Awolowo party? Even when they were ACN, was it an Awolowo party? We are only seeing the thesis and the antithesis theory of Pa Awolowo, where the best politicians will merge together and the opposition will merge together.
“ACN as at that time cannot chest out to say that it is an offshoot of Awolowo. If ACN brands itself as offshoot of Awolowo, one of its newspapers (names withheld) started attacking Mama Awolowo, the matriarch of Awolowo familiy. If that paper is a pro-Awolowo paper, would that happen.” Chief Babatope said that Atiku had made the greatest mistake of his life by leaving PDP for APC, saying that he fell for the trap of Senator Tinubu. “He is a young man. At 64, he still has many good years ahead of him but now he has fallen into wrong hands. If he had patience, maybe in 2019, most Nigerians would have supported him to achieve his ambition. “So Atiku has fallen into a booby trap.
I heard Tinubu call Atiku my friend and that he had come back home. It is a terrible statement. “Bola Tinubu is a political thunderbolt, I can tell you that. He is a highly calculating person and anywhere you see him, you better run for your dear life; not that he is going to kill you but he will neutralise you politically that you will become useless.” Also commenting on the South-West politics, the pro-President Jonathan campaigner said he respected former President Obasanjo for his local intelligence but thought that Bode George had the enviable role to play a mediatory role in galvanising the zone for political success in the future.
His words: “I am not in Obasanjo’s camp; I am an Awoist in the PDP, so he can do whatever he wants. Whatever happens in Ogun State is his problem. Obasanjo is one of the few African leaders who possesses a rare control of native intelligence. So, you cannot just dismiss him.
“Kashamu is a human being, good luck to him, but he cannot say that he is leading me in the PDP. He can’t say that. “Thirdly, don’t forget Olabode Goerge is back and anybody who wants to talk in terms of South- West politics and does not take into reckoning the issue of George is wasting time. “Whether you like it or not, Bode’s leadership will provide the missing nexus in the South-West and he is going to galvanise us into greater results. That is why some people wanted to get him out.”
A good number of Nigerians are worried about the modalities put in place for the conduct of the National Conference, what is your take on that? I am not talking because I am a PDP man but I think that the President has done very well by bringing out those modalities. Those modalities, if you go through it step by step, you will discover hat care has been taken not to offend the sensibilities of Nigerians. It is a very important conference which will decide so many things for Nigeria.
We are not going to break up. Nigeria is a multi-religious country and we have many traditions and, apparently, we must have a conference that in the end will bring out fundamental facts of these relationships that guide us. We are having Boko Haram today and by the time we are through with this conference, I hope and pray that Boko Haram will be a thing of the past.
Most of the things that created Boko Haram will be discussed by the conference. So it is good, we are not going to have contest for power for those who are going to go there, because that would destroy the conference. The nationalities have been taking care of and at the end, those who are going to come to the conference, I’m very sure those the President will nominate, will form the core of those who will be there. If anybody has no business at the conference, then there is no need for such to go there.
They will sit down there and talk about Nigeria, Nigeria is very important and it is coming at a particular time in our history when we are celebrating our 100 years in existence. The conference should be supported because it is going to guarantee a good future for Nigeria. On whether it is right for government to be nominating the majority of the participants to the conference, Babatope said, “that is why we have said that, though, I have not read the mind of the President, I am sure and history will justify what I have said that the President will also ensure that many of the people who will represent sensitive interests of the country would be nominated for the conference.
There is no point to do it on senatorial basis or to go and contest election. There are many people who will be crucial to that conference who will not have money to go to the elections for that conference. You must take note of that, because to vie for anything in Nigeria today, if you are not supported by money- power, you are wasting your time. I have no doubt in my mind, given the examples President Jonathan has shown over the years and his kind of feelings for the ordinary man, many people who will never ever be able to get themselves in the conference through elections will be there.
Source: National Mirror
