Bukola Saraki is a former Senate President and former governor of Kwara State. In this interview monitored on Arise Television, he speaks on his opposition to the Ibadan convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and defection rumour, among other issues, EVINCE UHUREBOR reports

There are those who say you should apologize to the nation and to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). You led a reconciliation committee yet the party is in crisis. Do you take the blame in some way as the opposition is collapsing?

Not at all! I mean, with greatest humility, I will say that what we saw now would have happened a long time ago. We kept it together for months after the committee on reconciliation in trying to keep all the forces together. And it was unfortunate that it finally went to the broker party just before the socalled Ibadan convention. But before then, we’ve had this issue and through our reconciliation committee, we’ve been keeping it together.

We had challenges. Remember that people thought we would never be able to have a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and that we would never be able to bring the governors together. And all throughout that period, myself and some of those that work with me, we kept it right up to the last point, which was just before the convention. If you know this crisis, it was not just the convention leading to that.

Over the weeks and months, there’d been a lot of work that we did. And we were the last party. I mean, a lot of the opposition party that stayed together without actually being divided into maybe a faction or a non-faction. We avoided all the booby traps along the way. We just kept meeting, reconciling people, bringing ourselves together.

There are many evenings that, you know, I mediated different groups, governors, former governors, to try and put everybody together, try and build confidence. We did our best and I wish my advice was heeded to. I screamed, I shouted at that time, and said, look, don’t let us go and do this convention. The best thing for us at this point in time was to have a caretaker committee. I advised against the Ibadan convention.

There was a special committee set up and I told them that we should not go to that convention. I said we should have a caretaker committee because it was clear that that was the best solution for us, and that if we did that, we would have avoided this issue of different factions and then after the election, when the atmosphere is calmer, we can now go. Unfortunately, they did not heed that advice.

What was your reason for telling them not to go to Ibadan?

Because I could see that we were not fully reconciled before going to Ibadan. The purpose of going to Ibadan and any convention was for everybody on board to have agreed on what we were going to do when we got to Ibadan, and met all the criteria that were being demanded for.

There was the issue of our congresses and some states that had not been done, that we needed to do that. There was also on how we should zone, who should take the position. So when you go to those conventions, it should be affirmation. You should have resolved behind the scenes who and who.

You had the date ahead of time. They depend on you, they trusted you to have reconciled the warring members of the party before going to Ibadan, but you couldn’t achieve that. Isn’t that a failure of your own committee?

No! We said don’t go to Ibadan; don’t go to that convention. There was no point going to that convention. Instead of going to Ibadan, let us form a caretaker committee. If we had done that, we would not have this crisis. Before that, we were not in court. There were not these kinds of court cases against different parts of the party until after Ibadan.

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State spearheaded the Ibadan convention. Were you able to speak with these two governors to make them see reasons why Ibadan was a no-no for you?

We did our best to advise that Ibadan should not take place as it was not in the best interest of the party. I think they were convinced for whatever reason that that was the best solution at that point in time but it wasn’t. And I’m not the only one that had that position.

Even the committee that was set up by the Board of Trustees, also in their recommendation, suggested that they should not do that. But their report was not considered because the report was not in line with those who had committed that they had to go to Ibadan, while we are still trying to make sure we bring people together. I don’t think that I want to bask in who got it right, who did not get it right, plenty of mistakes were made.

The key thing for all of us in the PDP is to create a platform where people who want to contest the election will have the opportunity

But where we are now is how we can ensure that PDP is available as a platform for those lovers of PDP, those members of PDP that want to contest the election. And to do that, we still have to continue the reconciliation processes. I try as much as possible when I am trying to arbitrate not to put blame because you still need to bring people together, even people who have made mistakes.

There’s no point in where mistakes have been made for us to labour on it as much because that does not help. So, the point I’m making is that there’s no doubt about it that if they had listened, we would not be where we are today. But that has happened now, so we should face what is ahead of us.

Is it also very true of your position, when you said, don’t go to Ibadan? On the other hand, you sent delegates from Kwara to Ibadan. Were you trying to play a balancing game on what exactly?

We said, don’t go to Ibadan because the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is not going to be there and that it’s going to be an exercise in futility. You’re going to have a convention that will come that will not have the legitimacy to carry on further. Then they reassured us that INEC will be there. So, to show good faith and to show I’m not on this side or that side, I’m on the side of what is good for the party.

One side had already clearly explained to us that Ibadan was not an option, which was the reality. But we’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. If you claim, and you gave your assurances that INEC will be there to monitor the convention, and I told those of our delegates in Kwara, let’s show good faith, go to Ibadan.

We further said if INEC is there to monitor that convention, go ahead and vote. So, to me, that action was one that truly shows that it was not any vested interest. It was interest of what is right in doing the right thing. And of course, INEC was not there, but still, that was an opportunity for us to pull back.

That has happened and we’re now where we are. But we now have another opportunity because the key thing for all of us in the PDP is to create a platform where people who want to contest the election will have the opportunity.

There are a lot of people who think that you are going to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) because you’ve been quiet, and there are doubts about your loyalty to the party, and your sincerity on where you were standing…

I think my antecedents and my political career show that I’m not a follower. I lead and I’m very clear where I stand. I’m not somebody that will say something in the afternoon and say something else in the evening. What I believe in, I stand for it and I take whatever comes with that. I’ve shown it, whether it was in the Senate, or when I was a governor.

That’s my political life. If I’m going somewhere, you will know about it. I’ll come, and I’ll tell you this is where I stand. About the quietness, you know that in 2019 and 2023, I contested for president but on the 2027 election, I was part of the party that said come 2027, let us zone it to the South and let the South complete its eightyear period.

Maybe that lack of activity has created the wrong impression. But clearly, when ADC started, as you see, I was not part of that and I made it clear that I was not going to be there, ditto those who were suggesting I was going to go and join the All Progressives Congress (APC). I also made it clear that I’m going to stay here in PDP. So, clearly, that’s where I am.

Some former members of the PDP say the party is dead and buried. How would you respond to that?

When you stay here in Abuja, you might say that because of the noise that comes out from the leaders having their disagreement. But when you go out to the states and you go to the grassroots in different states, you will find out that PDP is still very strong.

I take my state, for example, because I’m not contesting an election and I said to all the aspirants that are contesting, stakeholders, go and have a meeting and come back and tell me which platform you want. You have an option of staying in the PDP as it is.

If you don’t want ADC or PDP, you can even consider any of the smaller parties. Well, the first choice that they tell you from the feedback from the grassroots is that people still have this love and this affiliation for PDP. So, yes, there is a lot of noise but I’m saying that even across the country, PDP is still a household name. It is sellable across.