Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has described ‘Obidients’, the supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the just-concluded presidential election, Peter Obi, as the “most repulsive, off-putting concoctions” he has ever encountered in politics.
Soyinka said Obi’s supporters always refuse to entertain corrective criticism, noting that this has become their “badge of honour and certificate of commitment”.
The revered playwright said this via a statement issued on Friday, April 7, while speaking on the reactions that trailed his condemnation of the recent interview of the LP’s vice-presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, with Channels TV.
Soyinka had, in a recent interview with Arise TV, accused Baba-Ahmed of denigrating the country’s judiciary, saying: “I’ve never heard anyone threaten the judiciary on TV the way Datti did.”
Reacting via a statement titled, ‘Fascism on course’, the Nobel laureate said he agreed with Seun Kuti, the son of late Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Kuti, that Obi’s supporters are the “most repulsive supporters” in the country.
He stated: “Let it be known that I have long declared war against religious fundamentalism, the nature of which justifies the butchery, kidnapping and enslavement of students in the name of religion.
“That aspirant’s alleged gaffe cuts no ice with me. Far more alarming was the grotesque fantasy of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court disguised as a wheelchair, zooming off in space to a secret meeting with other parties of the conflict.
“On its own, that is sufficiently scary. Swiftly followed thereafter by a television tirade of intimidation, it strikes one as more than the mere antics by the mentally deranged.
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“The tactics are familiar: ridicule, incriminate, then intimidate. Objective: undermine the structure of justice. Just as a reminder: this writer was not being rhetorical when he declared, on exiting prison detention: Justice is the first condition of humanity.
“The instigating contest – Nigerian Democracy 2023 – has witnessed much that is innovative – largely in the retrogressive vein. Violence and ethnic profiling. “Spiritual” warfare in the shape of sacrificial rams to keep “disloyal” communities under restraint – in short, intimidation yet again!
“Easily overlooked however are those missives of violence directed against dissenting voices, real or suspect.
“Such, for instance, were the virulent attacks and threats to the musician Seun Kuti, his family and iconic music Shrine. His crime consisted of nothing more than declaring the name ‘Obidient’ derogatory to his sense of civic dignity and activist history.
“Such beginnings – and instances are numerous – have culminated in the open intimidation of the Court of Last Resort, even before proceedings have begun.
“By the way, I do agree with Seun Kuti; ‘Obidients’ is one of the most repulsive, off-putting concoctions I ever encountered in any political arena. Some love it, however, and this is what freedom is about. Choice. Taste. Free emotions.”
Soyinka further stated that he has no quarrel with the viral audio clip of Obi and the founder of Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, adding: “Let us remind ourselves of the following: in any adjudication, society finds it unacceptable that a party to the dispute resort to influencing tactics by extra-judicial means – such as bribery.
“Intimidation and threats are merely the obverse complements of material inducement. Those who fail to appreciate this are entirely free to their existence in an illusory world.”
Soyinka, however, condemned the sanctions imposed on Channels TV over the interview with Baba-Ahmed, noting: “As stated, I watched the programme keenly – saw the valiant efforts of the interviewer to ensure fair hearing. I fail to understand just where the station could be faulted, except from a disposition for injustice.
“To sustain that penalty is to give joy to others who turn Internet into a soak-away for their rancid emissions, yet feel that others should be silenced. If Channels feels up to it, I offer myself willing to engage Mr. Datti – or any nominee of his – on its platform on this very bone of contention – one-on-one – without the malodorous intervention of media trolls, and with the same interviewer as mediator. That should be taken as a serious offer.”
