By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN – A member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees and former Minister of Transport in the late General Sani Abacha regime, Chief Ebenezer Babatope, has advised President Goodluck Jonathan against the reinstatement of Justice Ayo Salami, saying “the man is a bad example of what a proper judiciary should be.”

It will be recalled that the National Judicial Council, NJC, last week, wrote to President Jonathan to reinstate Justice Salami, who before his face-off with former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, was the President of the Court of Appeal, back to the Bench after absolving him of the allegations against him.

Babatope, who addressed newsmen in Benin, Edo State, yesterday, accused Justice Salami of conniving with the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, to steal electoral victories belonging to PDP in some states of the federation.

He said: “I read in the papers that some people said they should return Justice Salami. If Justice Salami is returned, I wish him the best of luck. The man knows I never like him because he created most of the problems we have in this country. That gentleman stole our victory, he can sue me to court, after all he knows my name.

“He stole our victory in Ibadan; he constituted the panels that embarrassed PDP and he says he want to come back. If they return him, best of luck to whomever that returned him, but the man is a bad example of what a proper judiciary should be. So, those who are saying he should go back don’t know what they are saying.”

He insisted that PDP will never make the same mistake it made in Osun State or any state in the South-West by fighting itself, saying that the party would ensure that only the best would be fielded in subsequent elections. He added  that there would be no recourse to ethnic chauvinism.

On alleged move by Osun State Governor, Mr.  Rauf Aregbesola, to Islamise the state, Babatope  said it was impossible.
He said: “I have never believed that any sensible person from that part of the country will surround himself with Islamic fundamentalists. This is why when people tell me that Aregbesola wants to Islamise the state, I laughed. It is not possible because you know in Yorubaland, Muslims and Christians live together, celebrate events and activities together. I am a son of a Methodist clergy and my own blood sister is married to a Muslim.

“So, if you are going promote a religious war, I am  going to take cutlass to kill the children of my sister? It is difficult.”