Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has accused the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) of trying to force a lie on Nigerians.
Soyinka alleged that the Labour Party knew that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost the February 25 election but was trying to convince Nigerians, particularly the youths, that Obi won the election.
Soyinka said this on Wednesday, while speaking at an event “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue”, in South Africa.
Soyinka made the comment after he was asked to react to his previous comment on the Vice-Presidential candidate of LP, Datti Baba-Ahmed after the general elections.
He said the truth was what was important to him, even though many others always looked for shortcuts.
“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. Whereas it was a marvellous breach into the established two camps,” he said.
He noted that Obi achieved a remarkable feat by disrupting the power monopoly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Peter Obi achieved something remarkable there, that he broke that mould. However, he did not win the election,” Soyinka added.
He maintained that Obi had come third in the February 25 election and accused the party of attempting to mobilise the youths to protest the outcome of 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.
“They were going to send some of the hardliners, proud young people into the street to demonstrate.”
He then affirmed he would join a protest only on the grounds of truth.
“I’m also ready to be among such demonstrators but only on the banner of truth not on lies, and deceit.”
Soyinka cited the example of the the water and intimidation to the judiciary, while referring to the 2011 post election events,
“This party (LP) wanted the same thing 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 former 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.”
The controversy between Soyinka and the LP began in March when Soyinka disagreed with LP’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed’s comments on the outcome of the presidential election.
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Despite the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Bola Tinubu of the APC as the winner of the election, Baba-Ahmed had said in an interview that the country has no president-elect and that Tinubu should not be sworn in as president.
Soyinka had reacted to this comment, saying it was a “fascistic language” and that he had not heard anyone threaten the judiciary openly like Baba-Ahmed did.
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