Renowned Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has asserted that the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) was well aware that the presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had lost the February 25 election.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Soyinka has accused the opposition party’s leadership of attempting to impose a falsehood on Nigerians, particularly the youth, by claiming that Obi had emerged victorious in the election….CONTINUE READING

These remarks were made by the Nobel laureate during an event titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue,” which was organized by Africa in the World. This event took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on Wednesday.

When asked to comment on his previous statement about Datti Baba-Ahmed, the LP’s vice-presidential candidate, after the general election, Soyinka emphasized his commitment to the truth and the importance of factual information. He stressed that shortcuts and reliance on third-hand information were not his preferred approach.

Soyinka shared a historical perspective, recalling how he had armed himself with facts during the 1965 regional election and had not relied on hearsay.

The Nobel laureate accused the LP of infiltrating and influencing the organized labor movement in the lead-up to the 2023 election. He acknowledged that Peter Obi had achieved something noteworthy by breaking the dominance established by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Regarding the recent election, Soyinka stated, “I can state unequivocally that Peter Obi’s party secured a third-place finish, not even second, and the leadership was aware of this fact. However, they sought to propagate what we call in Yoruba ‘gbajue,’ which means the imposition of lies.”

Soyinka further alleged that the LP leadership had attempted to mobilize young people to protest against the election results through the “banner of lies and deceit.”

He expressed his willingness to participate in demonstrations but only on the basis of truth and not falsehood or deceit. Soyinka criticized the LP for employing tactics that threatened and attempted to intimidate both the judiciary and the public.

Additionally, Soyinka revealed that prior to the election, certain clandestine forces, including former generals, had called for an interim government, some of whom were well-known figures advocating for such a government even before the election took place.

In March, Soyinka and the LP found themselves in a disagreement over comments made by Datti Baba-Ahmed regarding the outcome of the presidential election. Baba-Ahmed’s remarks had triggered a strong response from Soyinka, who characterized them as containing “fascistic language” and as a threat to the judiciary.

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