The Federal Government has been advised to take urgent measures to protect the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) facilities across the country in view of the recent attacks on some of the commission’s offices in some parts of the country.
Giving the advice in an interview with TUNDE THOMAS, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, a former Minister of Transportation and member, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also insisted that there is nothing strange in having another Northerner succeed President Buhari in 2023. He spoke on other national issues
What’s your reaction to the present state of security in the country?
It is very bad. Like every other Nigerian, I’m very worried, and concerned. This is not the Nigeria we used to know. It is sad and very unfortunate that the nation today is drifting. We are in a terrible situation. It is not that those in authority are not doing their best but obviously, their best has not been enough. As the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Buhari should know that the buck stops at his table, and this is why he should do everything possible to ensure that we have sanity in the country. The present situation in the country is chaotic and very terrifying.
The Nigeria we used to know, you can move from one part of the country to another without fear or harassment, but that is no longer possible today. Nigerians can no longer move freely because of fear of kidnappers, bandits, and other criminal elements who have become a serious threat to travellers and other road users. Those in authority have to do more to ensure that we have peace and security in the country. Imagine people paying ransom before being released by bandits and kidnappers. People are dying left, right and centre. This is not Nigeria envisioned by the nation’s founding fathers. Some people have claimed that economic hardship may be part of the reasons responsible for this. Well, that may be true but I think those behind security challenges facing the country today don’t mean well for the country, and I even suspect that some of them may be foreigners who may be bent on creating a crisis for the country.
How would you assess the way the Federal Government has been handling the situation?
Like I said earlier, those in authority may be doing their best, but their best is not satisfactory enough. There is fear, panic and tension everywhere because people no longer feel safe. Whether within the confines of their home, on their farmland, or when they are travelling, Nigerians no longer feel safe and secure. It is sad that these bandits and kidnappers have turned kidnapping into a lucrative venture where they now demand ransom which must be paid before their victims can secure their freedom. But this is not acceptable. We are not a Banana Republic, and we should not allow these rogues to turn Nigeria into one. These criminals are making life difficult for both the rich and the poor. Nigerians are suffering as a result of their nefarious activities. We can’t continue like this. Nigerians can’t continue to be held hostage in their own country. Enough is enough.
What should the Federal Government do to find a lasting solution to the security crisis?
Although some Nigerians are saying that President Buhari has few months left to go, I still believe he can do something about it before he completes his term of office. The Federal Government should allow local vigilante groups to operate. These are people who know their communities very well and will be able to fish out criminal elements who are making life difficult for Nigerians. This is why many people have been canvassing the idea of community policing. This is the time the Federal Government should embrace the idea.
We have been canvassing the idea of state police for many years, and I strongly believe that with the recent developments in the country security wise, this is the time for the Federal Government to allow the idea to materialise.
State Police or Community Policing should be allowed. It is what will help us. The Central or what you call the Nigeria Police is overwhelmed. Even other security agencies including the Armed Forces can’t do it alone, and this is why the problem is still lingering. In other climes where they are practising federalism like Nigeria, state police is allowed, and it is working very well for their societies, so what is stopping us from doing the same here? I’ve heard some people talking about state police being abused by state governors, but I disagree. The present situation in the country has clearly shown that there is no alternative to state police if we want a solution to the security crisis. It is only enemies of peace that will attempt or make attempt to abuse it. I appeal to President Buhari to speed up the process of according recognition to state police as doing so will minimise the issue of security problems. Checks and balances can also be introduced to prevent any form of abuse. Nigeria belongs to all of us, and we must do everything that will salvage us from the present situation, and that’s why we should create all the apparatuses that will aid the Federal Government in combating crime in the country.
Some have suggested the imposition of the death penalty on kidnappers and bandits as part of the solutions to the security challenges. What’s your position on that?
The death penalty is too extreme. That’s going to be extreme. However, the death penalty may be considered when bandits and kidnappers killed their victims. But where deaths are not involved, there are other punishments that are prescribed by the laws of the land. Those laws should be applied whenever these criminals are caught.
What’s your take on the crisis in PDP following the formation of the G-5 group of governors led by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state?
We are working round the clock to resolve the crisis. We are holding an emergency meeting very soon to resolve the crisis, and I’m very optimistic that we will get over it. PDP will rise above the occasion, and we will be ready for the 2023 general as a united family, and not as a divided house. I know that the five governors are aggrieved and that they have been making demands which are going to be looked into at the highest level of the party’s organ, and I’m very optimistic that at the end of the day we are going to have an amicable settlement.
Those who are waiting or thinking that PDP will suffer an implosion as a result of what I considered a purely family disagreement are going to be disappointed. Governors Wike, Ortom, Ugwuanyi, Makinde, and Ikpeazu are still members of the PDP, and I believe they are still loyal members of the party who will not allow the present disagreement to affect the chances of PDP in next year’s general elections. For these governors, and some top members of the party like Chief Bode George who have sympathy for them, their arguments is that you can’t have both the party’s presidential candidate, and the party’s national chairman coming from the North but then since the choice of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been made as the party’s presidential candidate, we have to support the party’s decision.
We will not allow this to tear PDP apart, and this is why elders of the party are meeting to resolve the crisis so that we don’t play into the APC’s hands. We are going to have this reconciliation meeting very soon. Nigerians have suffered greatly under APC and people are yearning for change, and 2023 presents PDP a golden opportunity to bounce back. Wike and the other four governors are good party men, and I believe they will allow reconciliation to work. I also know for sure that no matter how aggrieved Bode George is, he will never go and work for APC. He will never abandon PDP to go and work for APC.
APC is a terrible party, and Nigerians have been under the party’s bondage for over seven years now. I’m very happy that the PDP recently bounced back to power in my state, Osun, and I’m very sure that the same will happen at the national level in 2023. By the grace of the Almighty God, PDP will win next year’s presidential elections. Nigerians are tired of APC, and they are eagerly waiting for PDP to come back. Nigerians have had the opportunity to compare APC and PDP, and they now know the difference.
There have been a spate of attacks on INEC facilities across the country recently, and concerns are being expressed over the ugly development
It is a worrisome development that requires urgent attention from the Federal Government. With the general elections fast approaching, it is not a good development at all. The Federal Government should treat these attacks as a national emergency by beefing up security around INEC facilities nationwide. These attacks are not a good omen as 2023 is fast approaching. I hope that it is not a third force that is behind these attacks. But I’m very optimistic that the general elections will hold. What the Federal Government need to do is to ensure that prompt action is taken to check the ugly developments. It baffles me why some evil-minded people will be bent on causing crisis or confusion when we should be thinking of how to deepen our democracy.
Some politicians have been canvassing the reversal of BVAS in conducting the 2023 general elections, citing network issues as one of the reasons it might not work. What’s your take on that?
As far as I’m concerned, BVAS should be allowed to stay. It is the best for us. It is what will guarantee us free and fair elections. I’m also happy that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakub has come out to state that there will be no going back on BVAS. He also publicly dispelled fears over the network claims being made by some politicians. I think it is politicians that are afraid of losing elections that are making these claims. INEC should be firm and resolute. They used BVAS in the recent elections in Ekiti and Osun states, and it worked. So I don’t think we should entertain any fear over BVAS except for those who are afraid of losing free and fair elections. BVAS is good for us if we want to have free and fair elections.
But do you think INEC can refuse to be influenced by the political elite?
INEC should refuse to dance to the tune of anybody or group that may try to influence its decision. President Muhammadu Buhari has promised Nigerians a free and fair election. He has promised not to interfere, so the INEC Chairman should continue with his work. He should ensure that INEC under his watch remains truly an independent electoral umpire. Nigerians want free and fair elections in 2023, and they look up to INEC to ensure that becomes a reality.
Campaigns have started. Do you think candidates are addressing issues?
I’m a committed PDP member, and my party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has been addressing issues. He has been going round the country telling Nigerians about the programmes he and the party have for Nigerians. He will deliver on those promises. He has the experience and the ability to deliver. As far as I’m concerned, he will win. There is no basis for any comparison between him and other candidates. PDP will shock APC in 2023.
You are a PDP member, but can Nigerians vote for another Northerner after Buhari’s eight years in office? What would that portend for Nigeria’s unity?
I think what we should be talking about is, who is the best candidate that can do the job? I believe Atiku Abubakar remains the best candidate. Although Atiku is from the geographical North but he is married to Yoruba and Igbo who have children for him.
It is better for us to be talking about Nigerians who can do the job instead of talking about candidates’ state of origin or ethnic group. I don’t see anything unusual in Atiku Abubakar taking over from Buhari. Let Nigeria have the best; that’s what we should be talking about. This is one of the reasons why we need to restructure. If we restructure, all these issues that are coming up about candidates and their ethnic group or state of origin would never come up. We need to practise true federalism. True federalism will ensure that we canvass the best. We can’t run away from restructuring, if we run away from it, we are courting greater dangers for Nigeria.
Do you think the insecurity we have everywhere will allow a fair election next year?
I don’t see insecurity posing any threat to the election. If we put our house in order, and all the stakeholders play the roles expected of them, there should be no cause for alarm. I will also like to make an appeal that politicians should not see the 2023 elections as a do-or die-affair. They should remember that politics is a game, and should not be regarded as a matter of life and death.