Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka says although, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi achieved something “remarkable” he lost the 2023 polls.
Soyinka said the LP knew that Obi lost the election, but it was trying to force a lie on Nigerians, especially the youths that the former Anambra governor won the polls.
The Nobel laureate stated this at an event, titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue” organised by Africa in the World, which took place in South Africa.
He also reacted to his comment against Datti Baba-Ahmed, LP vice-presidential candidate, after the general election.
According to him, the truth matters to him, adding that many people always look for shortcuts.
He reflected back to when he invaded a radio station in Ibadan in 1965 and was armed with facts.
He added that he was not relying on “third-hand information” about the result of the 1965 regional election.
Soyinka accused the LP of taking over the organised labour movement in the build-up to the 2023 election.
He noted that Obi achieved “something remarkable” by breaking the monopoly of power established by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“This recent election – two things happened first of all. One party took over the labour movement, which is not my favourite movement, and then it became a regional party,” he said.
“Whereas it was a marvellous breach into the established two camps. Peter Obi achieved something remarkable there, that he broke that mould. However, he did not win the election.
“I can say categorically that Peter Obi’s party came third not even second and the leadership knew it but they want to do what we call in Yoruba ‘gbajue’, that is force of lies.”
Soyinka also alleged that the LP leadership attempted to mobilise young people to protest against the outcome of the election on the “banner of lies and deceit”.
“They were going to send some of the hardliners, proud young people into the street to demonstrate,” he said.
“I’m also ready to be among such demonstrators but only on the banner of truth not on lies, and deceit.
“This party wanted the same thing (referring to 2011 post-election violence) to happen on the basis of a lie and we find this vice-presidential candidate on television boasting, insisting, threatening and trying to intimidate both the judiciary and the rest.
“What kind of government will result from that kind of conduct? In addition, they did not know this but they were being used.
“Before the election, there were certain clandestine forces, including some ex-generals, who were already calling for an interim government before the elections began.
“Some of them were known figures, including a proprietor of a university calling for an interim government before the election took place.”
Meanwhile, the LP has reacted to Soyinka’s comment.
Reacting, the party in a statement issued on Thursday night by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, accused Soyinka of being blind to truth.
The party questioned why the Nobel Laureate, was mute when some elements threatened Lagos residents to leave the state prior to the election.
The statement reads partly, “The Labour Party took note of the statement that emanated from the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, whom, as an institution, we have the utmost respect for. He is a Nigerian whose accomplishments in the literary world are without doubt intimidating.
“However, we beg to disagree with his prognosis and personal opinion on the performance of our party during the 2023 general elections. The facts are before the courts and out of respect for our judiciary, we will reserve our comments until the Supreme Court makes a final pronouncement.
“We understand that the literary giant is human and thus susceptible to emotions and probably said what he said based on information made available to him by those who share the ‘Emilokan sentiment’.
“In Yoruba, ‘Gbajue’ refers to fraudulent activities like age, name or certificate forgery, 419 or narcotics trafficking, all of which are issues in the 2023 elections but not on the Labour Party’s part.
“‘Gbajue’ in Yoruba also literally means ‘slap him/her in the face.’ Have all Nigerians not been slapped sufficiently in the face? Thanks to this man of letters for bringing this out albeit, advertently. It’s rather interesting that the erudite Prof. Soyinka, who owned up to having an electoral “monitoring unit” conveniently glossed over INEC’s legerdemain leading to substantial non compliance and erosion of constitutional dictates, just as he conveniently glossed over the INEC’s advanced ‘gbajue’ of February 25 that has surreptitiously installed the King of ‘gbajue’ in Aso Rock.
“It is most befuddling as well as disconcerting that a detribalized and activist Soyinka would succumb to the groupthink syndrome that subscribes to State Capture by those belonging to the criminal fringe by any means, based on primordial considerations.
“We really appreciate him for at least giving some credits to Labour Party and its Presidential candidate for breaking the monopoly of power hitherto held by the two other parties. We also noted his admission of his willingness to be part of a demonstration which would be based on the banner of truth.
“However, we are aware that Soyinka resides in Lagos State and he was in Nigeria in February 25 when elections held in Nigeria. He watched probably with a glee when a certain individual in Lagos warned non-indigenes to vote a particular political party or risk being deported to their place of birth, and he never condemned it.
“He was there when ballot boxes were snatched by thugs in a polling booth right in front of his house, he didn’t condemn it. We are still looking for where he came out to condemn the unprovoked attacks on our supporters in Lagos by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, during the last elections”.
