Obidients “Attack” Wole Soyinka For Labelling Labour Party Supporters A Fascistic Movement

Posted by Nwa Diokpa Exclusive/Investigative Stories, Featured, Latest Headlines Thursday, April 6th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has come under severe criticism on social media after he shared his views on the statements made by the Vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed concerning the swearing-in of President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Soyinka, speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, frowned at the LP vice presidential candidate for making statements that he deemed menacing and could incite national discord in an interview with Channels TV’s Seun Okinbaloya on the program, Politics Today.

He said: “I never heard anyone threaten the judiciary the way I heard Dattti speaking. Blackmailing attitude. Do or die provocation is not what we are struggling for.

“Datti kept saying the Supreme Court should give his interpretation. This is trying to dictate to the supreme arbiter of the nation.

“I mean, it is an institution we all revert to, if not today, then tomorrow. If not this election, then the next election. But Datti kept saying ‘No, the supreme court in its wisdom, has to agree with me’. That is what is known as fascistic language; it is not acceptable.”

“His comments were unbecoming, a threat to the judiciary. It is a fascist language which alienates the people. It is unacceptable and I refuse to be a part of it.”

This development has sparked social media reactions as some netizens took to the micro-blogging platform to lampoon the novelist. The African Examiner gathers a few of their thoughts as seen on Twitter.

@firstladyship writes: “Wole Soyinka calling the Obidients ‘Fascists’ is part of the plan. Their grand plan is to demarket Peter Obi internationally. They unleashed Lai Mohammed in stage 2. Expect more from international press. But we are ready to counter all their agenda! IT’S AN ALL OUT MEDIA WAR!”

@dreyinker writes: “Wole Soyinka Hijacked a Radio Station in the 60s Wole Soyinka Advocated Guerrilla Warfare in the Late 90s Calling Datti a Fascist is a bit Rich & Hypocritical I must say. Wole Soyinka -the man who promised to tear his US green card if trump wins and never did- has lost.”

@firstladyship writes: “Dear Nigerians, In the Journey of Nations, no one is above reproach. Not Peter Obi, not Buhari, certainly not Wole Soyinka. Obi has offered himself to fix the mess Tinubu & his generation made. The old destroyed Nigeria. It is up to us to fix it. Obi is only the vessel.”

@AfamDeluxo writes: “Don’t forget Wole Soyinka was one of those people that foisted Buhari on us. He criticized GEJ so much and even likened him to King Nebuchadnezzar. He also allegedly called his wife Hippotamus in 2013. When they try to gag you with respect our elders, show them this tweet.”

@Isidore0001 writes: “Wole Soyinka, an elder statesman is more angry about Datti’s Response to the fraudulent elections than the fraudulent elections itself. Some Elders are over rated.”

@AfamDeluxo writes: “Wole Soyinka is doing a brief for BAT & hiding under the cloak of the solemnity of the SC. He was nowhere to be found when BAT was screaming Emilokan, GRV got bullied, Mc Oluomo threatened Ndiigbo, etc. He is crawling out now to dictate how a victim reacts? Respectfully, shut up!”

@KadunaResident writes: “Ogun State has been taking care of Wole Soyinka with tax payers for years. Although I expected better, I am not surprised. There is nothing stomach infrastructure cannot cause.”

@Tutsy22 writes: “Wole Soyinka is using grey hair to chop agbado… he was very quiet during the rogbodiyan election violence! Awon Professor Nobel prize winner isonu!”

@urchilla01 writes: “There’s a reason they chose Wole Soyinka. His international reputation. Then imagine an internationally acclaimed literary legend branding a movement as fascist on international TV! And someone wants to tell me he or the people who sent him didn’t know what they were doing.”

@DavidHundeyin writes: “No matter how fatuous or silly the ongoing attempt to hoodwink the world into categorising Peter Obi’s support base as “fascist” or “populist” is, once those words are allowed to stick, they will start to cause real problems. Resist this gaslighting at all cost!”

Shehu Gazali Sadiq writes: “You guys are talking about Wole Soyinka that supported Buhari in 2015 after witnessing Buhari’s tyranny in the 1985? I told you guys that speaking or writing English language is not wisdom. Let me add that grey hair is also not wisdom. Nonsense.”

@Sports_Doctor2 writes: “When you remember how vocal Wole Soyinka was under Former, President Goodluck Jonathan and how he has remained mute all these while only to react now to Baba Datti’s statements, you will just shake your head agbadorously.”

@blossommartins writes: “When has Wole Soyinka EVER spoken in the interest of Nigerians? When exactly? When Buhari disobeyed court order to release Nnamdi Kanu, did he condemn it? When the federal government & CBN disobeyed court orders, did he condemn it?”

@JudeHeavenly writes: “Where was Wole Soyinka when people were being maimed, killed and terrible hatred hurled at lawful residents in his domain? That same man crawled out of his hole to call obidients, fascists and attacked Datti fighting the criminalities of INEC. Terrible and very corrupt old man.”

Shehu Gazali Sadiq writes: “I’m not surprised that Wole Soyinka is supporting a drug baron to be president of Nigeria. He’s a cultist. What’s the difference between a cultist and a drug dealer? Despicable people.”