Soyinka: LP leaders knew Obi lost 2023 election

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, says the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) knew the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost the 2023 presidential election.

Soyinka said the LP leaders attempted to force “a lie” on Nigerians, especially the youths, that Obi won the February 25 election.

The renowned playwright stressed that the former governor of Anambra State came third in the presidential poll, alleging that the Labour Party took over the organised labour movement, which he said was not his favourite, in the build-up to the election.

He said these at an event titled, ‘The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue’, organised by Africa in the World in Stellenbosch, South Africa, on Wednesday, September 13, 2023.

Soyinka, however, said Obi, in the 2023 general election, achieved “something remarkable” by breaking the monopoly of power established by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said: “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.

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“Whereas it was a marvellous breach into the established two camps. Peter Obi achieved something remarkable there, that he broke that mould. However, he did not win 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.”

Soyinka further accused the LP leadership of mobilising Nigerian youths to protest against the outcome of the election on the “banner of lies and deceit”, saying: “They were going to send some of the hardliners, proud young people into the street to demonstrate.

“I’m also ready to be among such demonstrators but only on the banner of truth not on lies, and deceit.

“This party (LP) wanted the same thing (referring to 2011 post-election violence) 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 Star