On a Sunday, Peter
Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), paid a visit to
Professor Wole Soyinka, a Nobel laureate and respected figure in Nigeria. Obi
shared on his official Twitter handle that the visit was enriching and that he
had a useful discussion with the literary icon. Obi acknowledged the immense
reputation of Soyinka as a fighter for justice and equity in Nigerian society and
promised to never ignore it.
During their
conversation, Soyinka shared his aspirations for a better and more inclusive
Nigeria with Obi. He also reminded the LP candidate of the huge price he paid
fighting for the cause of the Igbos just before the outbreak of the civil war.
Obi expressed that he cherished the visit, which was intended to erase misconceptions
about the relationship between the great icon and his obedient family.
The visit came days
after Soyinka received criticism from supporters of the LP, who call themselves
“Obidients”. Soyinka had previously criticized the LP’s
vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, for using “fascistic
language” in his remarks. Baba-Ahmed had claimed that the country had no
president-elect despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
announcing Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of
the election. According to Baba-Ahmed, Tinubu would be leading an
unconstitutional government if he were sworn into office because he had not met
the requirements of the law.
Soyinka had also
stated that Obidients wear their refusal to accept constructive criticism as a
badge of honor, which led to criticism from supporters of the LP. However,
Obi’s visit to Soyinka aimed to improve the relationship between the two and
demonstrate that constructive dialogue is essential to building a better
Nigeria.
Overall, Obi’s visit
to Soyinka was an opportunity for the presidential candidate to learn from the
Nobel laureate and gain insight into his aspirations for Nigeria’s future. It
also aimed to improve the relationship between Soyinka and the LP and
demonstrate the importance of constructive dialogue in Nigerian politics.
