Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate, has described the comments
by Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in a
recent interview as containing “fascistic language”.
Soyinka spoke in a chat with Arise TV on Wednesday.
On March 22, Datti, in an interview with Channels TV, said
the country has 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.
The LP vice-presidential candidate said Tinubu would be
leading an unconstitutional government if sworn into office because the APC
candidate “has not met requirements of the law”.
The interview has elicited criticism from political
stakeholders as well as a N5 million fine for the TV station.
Adding his voice to the conversation, Soyinka described
Datti’s remarks as a “kind of do-or-die attitude and provocation” that goes
contrary to democratic disposition.
He said the LP vice-presidential candidate tried to “dictate
to the supreme arbiter of the nation”, adding that it was unacceptable.
“I have never heard anyone threaten the judiciary on
television the way Datti did. I heard the kind of menacing, blackmailing
language as that to which we were treated by Datti. That kind of do-or-die
attitude and provocation is not what I think we have all been struggling for,”
Soyinka said.
“Nearly the totality of Datti’s comment in the interview was
unbecoming. It was like trying to dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation,
and whatever you think of the supreme court, it is an institution we all refer
to sooner or later.
“But Datti kept saying, in his wisdom, that the supreme
court must agree with me. That is what is known as fascistic language and it is
not acceptable.”
‘FAKE NEWS ATTRIBUTED
TO ME’
The Nobel laureate has been one of the most prominent
victims of fake news in the country in recent years.
The latest was a viral social media post which claimed he
endorsed Tinubu during the run-up to the presidential election.
Reacting to what he called “nauseating and praise-singing tracts”,
Soyinka announced a $1000 reward for “anyone who can finger successfully the
author of some of the tracts which have been attributed to me over the past six
months”.
“Please beware of fake news. A lot of damage is being done
by fake news. Even as recently as a few days ago. Some garbage, verbiage,
nauseating and praise-singing tracts which we have seen so many times before
have been resurrected and attributed to Wole Soyinka. It makes me sick. If
people want to be praise singers let them do it in their own father’s name and
leave Soyinka out of it,” he said.
“I want to use this
opportunity to announce a reward of $1000 to anyone who can finger successfully
the author of some of the tracts which have been attributed to me over the past
six months.”
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Mr. Soyinka with all due respect, you have failed to criticize INEC for their sabotage and corrupt practices against our pampered democracy, but only comes out to criticize Datti Ahmed.
ReplyDeleteHow can he criticise inec. For what? For keeping obidatti at where they belong in 3rd position. Datti is simply unmature politician who was overwhelmed by Internet supporters. He was over confident b4 d election
ReplyDeleteYes you need a party with national spread to win presidential election not a regional party like lp and nnpp
ReplyDelete