Renowned
Nigerian writer and Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has condemned
supporters of Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, for their
attacks on
his person. These supporters, known as “Obidients”, have
been disparaging Soyinka over one of his recent comments. Soyinka has described
the Obidient movement as a threat to the judiciary.
In an
interview with Channels Television, Soyinka revealed that he had warned Obi
before the presidential election that if he lost, it would be his followers who
would lose it for him. He also criticized the Naira swap policy, saying it had
wiped out President Buhari’s achievements. In addition, Soyinka expressed his
disapproval of the same-faith ticket, calling it controversial and ill-timed.
Soyinka
responded to the attacks by Obidients in a statement titled “Fascism on
course.” He stated that a climate of fear was being generated, and that
the refusal to entertain corrective criticism or differing perspectives was
becoming a badge of honour and certificate of commitment. Soyinka also
criticized the tactics used by Obi’s supporters, including ridicule,
incrimination, and intimidation. He warned that such tactics were familiar and
their objective was to undermine the structure of justice.
Soyinka
spoke out against the recent interview granted by Datti Baba-Ahmed,
Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, on Channels Television.
Baba-Ahmed had declared that the country had no president-elect, despite INEC
announcing Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the
winner of the election. Soyinka condemned the fine imposed on Channels
Television for airing the interview, stating that he had watched the program
and noticed how the anchor had restrained Baba-Ahmed to no avail. He offered
himself to engage with Datti or any nominee of his on Channels Television’s
platform to resolve the bone of contention without the intervention of media
trolls.
In
conclusion, Soyinka expressed his concerns about the state of the nation,
stating that Project NIGERIA had become near terminally soul-searing. He also
stated that to rid the country of tyranny and opportunism, they must first rid
themselves of the tyranny of the ignorant and the opportunism of time-servers.
