(It took them long but still a welcome developement.)
[size=15pt]
Yoruba Elders Have Seen Something Good In Jonathan[/size]

Chief Ebenezer Babatope, 72 came to national limelight as the fiery director of organisation of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN in the Second Republic. Babatope was a shinning light among Nigeria’s progressives. An unrepentant Awosit till date, his ideological bearing, however, became an issue among some during and after his years of service in the General Sani Abacha regime where he held the transport portfolio. Such concern also shadows his prominent standing in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Even when many question his present ideological leanings, however, none has as of date questioned his morals in the midst of the morass that is depicted of his party, where he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees, BoT.

In this interview with Vanguard, Babatope bares his mind on the campaigns so far, chances of President Goodluck Jonathan and the place of PDP in the South West among other issues.

By Henry Umoru

There were complaints that when the PDP and the APC started, the campaigns were not quite issue based. Have we moved from insults to issues now?

The PDP has always ensured that its campaigns are purely issue based. You hardly can see us throwing insults to people or jiving at them. No! We carry out the messages of the party to the people. And it is the other party, the opposition party, the APC that is involving itself in throwing insults upon people and in signing peace treaty which they don’t believe in and in ensuring that they cause confusion.

But we thank God that the PDP has not played the game as they are playing it because if we had played the game as they are playing it, there would have been chaos and catastrophe in the society. We are very interested in ensuring that we mobilize the greatest number of Nigerian people to see the side being presented by the PDP and to be with us at the campaigns and the election victory.

Does that mean that the peace treaty will not work since you are saying that the APC does not believe in that?
Ebenezer Babatope

Ebenezer Babatope

When they signed the treaty, honestly I was not into self seeking about it because I know that the APC boys are naturally belligerent, they are naturally repulsive to anything which in fact can move for amity in political relationship. I know they can never be anything supportive of any action of my people to ensure that we don’t have violence. So I didn’t give it a chance.

So when they now decided to throw stones at the president in Katsina, also in Bauchi and also made an attempt at bomb throwing in Gombe, I just felt well, this country is greater than all of us and God Almighty loves Nigeria and will never allow our country to disintegrate. It is the APC that is responsible for the breakdown of the Abuja Peace Accord that was signed, in the presence of Kofi Annan and some other United Nations top officials.

But that notwithstanding, what is important to us now is how to consolidate on the gains we have had in the campaigns and to ensure that we win the elections.

What are the chances of your party in your zone that is the Southwest, considering the fact that you have only Ondo and Ekiti as PDP states?

Let me be firm in telling you that there is no way APC and Buhari will defeat Jonathan and the PDP in the Southwest. I am not talking in terms of governorship contest. No, I am talking about presidential contest.

Despite the noise being made by the APC, there is no way Buhari and the APC will beat the PDP in the Southwest because all we are doing in the Southwest are all rooted in the tradition and culture of our people in Yoruba land.

Awolowo said that before you can be a good Nigerian citizen, you must first and foremost be a good Yoruba man, a good Hausa man, a good Igbo man and the rest of them. So we believe that before we can chest out in the Southwest to say we are good Nigerians, we must be very good and acceptable Yoruba patriots and this is what we are doing.

Yoruba patriots

And when the results come out, it will surprise everyone the votes that Jonathan will score in the Southwest. We beat them the last time; we are going to beat them this time again.

What is your take on the endorsement of President Jonathan by the Afenifere?

It is a very good development. I am not in that Afenifere group. I am Awolowo’s Afenifere. But I have tremendous respect and regard for the leaders of the Afenifere group that declared support for Jonathan because they were my leaders in the Unity Party of Nigeria when I was their director of organisation and I really respect their intelligence and I respect the way they view the future and the way they responded to issues to ensure that the Yorubas are well prepared for the future.

There are things they would have seen because they are a group of elders: Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Chief Adebanjo, Chief Olaniwun Ajayi, all of them in the Afenifere. They are people who are not frivolous, who are never sentimental or emotional about issues, they are people who view matters constructively and objectively.

Growing strength

When they made their pronouncement, I know that the Yoruba people because we don’t joke with maturity, age as expressed in Yoruba land, would have picked something that these elderly people know what they are talking about.

So it is a good thing they have done for the PDP and honestly speaking I am very happy about it and Nigerians are happy about it and the Yoruba people are very delighted about that development because they will add fillip to the growing strength of the PDP for Jonathan’s presidency in the Southwest.

How would you look at the two major presidential candidates, Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari?

Even while sleeping it is obvious. You must forgive me, while sleeping I will pick Jonathan. Any human being that invests heavily in individual freedom is the human being that should be supported to run the democratic experiment that we are having in Nigeria.

The past of Buhari shows that he is not a man that can be described as a democrat. A lot of people perished under his first coming. I was one of his victims. I was in jail for 21 months. I was not in government. I was just a party official, director of organisation of the banned Unity Party of Nigeria led by the great Obafemi Awolowo. I spent some time in Kirikiri prison, from there they took me to Jos prison, from there they took me to Yola prison. So I know what I am talking about. And many innocent people were killed.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/yoruba-elders-seen-something-good-jonathan-babatop/

The rest of Nigeria has been saying the same thing since 2011. You have to be blind not to notice the improvements in all sectors of society.
Welcome development any how.

Ebino topsy is on his own. let him speak ONLY for his mouth, stomach and his pocket.

He is a political spent force and I wonder how someone that was even unable to deliver his house for the PDP/Omisore will be arrogating the title of Yoruba leadership to himself.






Nigerians will definitely MARCH4BUHARI come this election.

Alphaoscar:
Ebino topsy is on his own. let him speak ONLY for his mouth, stomach and his pocket.
Nigerians will definitely MARCH4BUHARI come this election.

He was addressing sane and discerning Yoruba people, not your ilk.

Ebenezer Babatope is synonymous to Reuben Abalti. History says it all

Speak for yourself, this is democracy, I have d right to vote for my choice,no yoruba elder can decide for me because am old enough

[size=15pt]Postponing 2015 elections will help address issues[/size]

Postponing 2015 elections will help address issues — Southern ethnic group
By Monsuru Olowoopejo

Lagos—Southern Nigeria Ethnic Nationalities have said postponing the 2015 general elections would afford the country the opportunity to address issues that could impede achieving a free and fair polls.

They argued that security of life and property must be addressed before the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, organized the elections earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28, 2015.

They spoke at a Town Hall meeting at the MUSON centre, Lagos, deliberating on the theme “Nigeria at Crossroad: restructuring and election.”

Lamenting the country’s lax security, they noted that its officers did not have the capabilities to prevent a breakdown of law and order should there be one in any of the geo-political zones of the country.

Convener of the meeting, Mr. Timi Kaiser-Wilhelm, said ethnic nationalities were not against the elections but noted that there was need to consider other factors that would ensure free and fair elections in the country.

He said: “For instance security, going into the elections without addressing it could affect the outcome of the elections. So there is need for us to restructure the country.

“Even the ongoing distributions of PVCs have been structured in a manner to favour the north not minding other regions in the country.”

Timi Kaiser-Wilhelm added that the number of PVCs allocated to the regions further attest to plans by the electoral commission to favour the North.

“Out of 10 top officials in charge of this up-coming election, eight of them are from the North West and some of them are now close associate of APC and having such relationship with a top contending part will definitely take his toll on the election,” he added.

On his part, the Secretary General, Lower Niger Congress, Mr. Tony Nnadi, posited that 2015 was the year that would define whether Nigeria will remain as a country or not as the need for restructuring was inevitable.

Nnadi noted that indications had shown that if certain issues were not addressed before the elections, the country could witness what occurred between 1964 and 1965.

He stated that this was how it started in 1964 and that because nobody addressed it, it became the source of the calamities that happened in the country for six years.

Nnadi said: “Within this period, the country experienced civil war. And it led to the death of 3.5 million citizens of the country.

“I am sure we are moving towards that side now, if these politicians are not going to listen to the voice of the people. We the citizens are going to prevent that fire they want to set up.

“Election or no election we must first determine the constitution by which the winner will governor, the constitution we had was imposed.

“The one we have in place was imposed and we have to decide our unionism before election, we know that politician will not listen but we are waiting for them at the bridge.

“The constitution is faulty, oppressive laws are put into constitution, we have five constitutions before they collapsed. All of them into one to favour some part of the country.

“The proper thing is for us to go back into this different constitution as it was before the war and determined how we are going to leave together for the betterment of all of us.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/postponing-2015-elections-will-help-address-issues-southern-ethnic-group/#sthash.UoVecdvl.dpuf

Babatope that can't even win his ward, Yoruba elder indeed.

When his own people are booing him? Jonathan said some funny stuff then got booed:
“I know you love me, you like me, and I love you and like you.
To which the crowd shouted, Noooo!!! Nooo!!!!
He said,
“I know some people are coming to spoil your mind.”
To which the people said “Nooo!”
He continued,
“0.00 % of you have been infiltrated and hate us, but you must work with the governor of this state”
To which the boos and No! No! came.
He continued,
“Don’t allow anyone to deceive you, I am telling you as your father, uncle and brother
“You must work with the governor!”
And then came, PDP – Noo! PDP – Nooo!!! Heard above the suppression of the drums.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIn-H8XRBfU#t=287

skip to 5:00 to watch that part . How can a president and a Phd holder say "0.00% of you have been infiltrated"?

What elder will see while sited in a hole..dis days youths cnt see it even wt d advent of d internet

Don't mind that man jor, abi national cake don reach his side too? Anyway, gej till 2019

Yorubas will vote in GEJ at the 11th hour

Alphaoscar:
Ebino topsy is on his own. let him speak ONLY for his mouth, stomach and his pocket.
Nigerians will definitely MARCH4BUHARI come this election.

Seconded.

I will personally ensure all these GEJ people smell pepper when GMB takes over. As usual the politically naïve and deficient foes largely from OJU-IKU's region are putting their foot in it forgetting the huge backlash that awaits them. They did not listen to the voice of reason in the 60s, 80s and now.

Shebi they know how to cry and wail abi? The Yoruba/North alliance is simply impregnable and all should join the moving train of chAnge.

Faibuhari:
Yorubas will vote in GEJ at the 11th hour

Yes,that is good...a south-south co-operation.

The heartebeat of Nigeria is in the southern half of Naija.

You pdp people should stop wasting your time because the loyalty of odua-land is with APC. Babatope is a pdp fanatic and a gej apologist, so we are not surprise in what he said.

Op maybe you should take a trip to odua-land and see for yourself. The momentum for change is very high here. You will even see a kid of 10yrs screaming CHANGE.

Buhari is in trouble. .lolzzzz

GEJ till 2019..

Mogidi:


He was addressing sane and discerning Yoruba people, not your ilk.

No sensible Yoruba will listen to the likes of Ebenezer Babatope except the idiots like the ones from a landlocked region.

One lost person is now talking on behalf of all Yoruba elders



The Elders correctly pitched their tents wt Gen Buhari, they are wise after all.



#March4Buhari
#GejToICC

Op. Are u talking abt the yoruba elder dat are having dim vision

kastonkastrol:
You pdp people should stop wasting your time because the loyalty of odua-land is with APC. Babatope is a pdp fanatic and a gej apologist, so we are not surprise in what he said.

Op maybe you should take a trip to odua-land and see for yourself. The momentum for change is very high here. You will even see a kid of 10yrs screaming CHANGE.

You people on nairaland boasted like this before the Ekiti election, we know what happened afterwards.

Alphaoscar:





No sensible Yoruba will listen to the likes of Ebenezer Babatope except the idiots like the ones from a landlocked region.

What region am I from? Its an understatement to call you re..tarded, am done with you.

Who Da fFourk is Babatope , He's not trending, so let him so and sleep somewhere


ROTFLMAO GEJ's eyes turning red when people starting shouting NOOOOOoooooo , he he he , he did not make any sense from then on ha ha ha


What a shocker

Gej Unstoppable!
#March for Jonathan!

oneeast:
Buhari is in trouble. .lolzzzz

GEJ till 2019..

are you chino?

Mogidi:

What region am I from? Its an understatement to call you re..tarded, am done with you.

And you a slowpoke jubilating over a political spent force that can't even deliver his house for Omisore/PDP in the last governorship poll in Osun.

Ok

dridowu:
Ebenezer Babatope is synonymous to Reuben Abalti. History says it all

Do you have respect for elders at all?

PhockPhockMan:
Do you have respect for elders at all?

if my comment shows lack of respect to elders , what can you say about this bolded part, is that a prayer ? Remember my own comment does not portray any foul languages like d bolded, so between you and i, who has respect ?

PhockPhockMan:
Rochas should also show us the several mosque he built in the north.
Foolish governor.




#RochasMustGo

https://www.nairaland.com/2137401/o.m.g-checkout-church-built-rochas#30558705

Baba, you are blessed!

These are the people who have experienced both sides and can speak without negative emotions. I believe our people will hear the voice of wisdom.

I think general alani akinrianade answered these old foolz.

dridowu:
if my comment shows lack of respect to elders , what can you say about this bolded part, is that a prayer ? Remember my own comment does not portray any foul languages like d bolded, so between you and i, who has respect ?


https://www.nairaland.com/2137401/o.m.g-checkout-church-built-rochas#30558705

Rochas is under 60 years, he's not my elder, do you know my age?

PhockPhockMan:

Rochas is under 60 years, he's not my elder, do you know my age?

i careless about your age. Young or old does NOT deserve a foul language but deserve a RESPECT
Respect is Reciprocal