THE NATION
The attacks on Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka by supporters of Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, are targeted at Yoruba heritage, a group, the Think Yoruba First, said at the weekend
It said the driving force behind the Obidients Movement was nothing but irredentist Igbo fundamentalism fuelled by hate, lack of culture, avarice and incredible disregard for democratic culture.
In a statement signed by the group’s General Secretary, Dr. Bukola Adeniji, Think Yoruba First said Soyinka was one of few men of honour when it came to defending democracy and basic human rights in Nigeria and across the world.
It condemned attempts by Obi supporters to promote Igbo supremacy theory motivated by false history, arrogance and a savage passion for ceaseless acts of aggression.
The Think Yoruba First organisation is constituted by some of the finest Yoruba professionals at home and in the diaspora.
The group said Yoruba people were being pushed beyond the elasticity limit and would henceforth adopt the philosophy of proportional response to deal with Igbo bullying and ethnic profiling of their folk hero, Obi, having been defeated at the February 24 presidential election.
“The attacks on Soyinka shows a high level of immorality and the uncultured past time of a group of neoliberal fascists, who detest basic tenets of democracy and human liberty,” the body said.
It said Soyinka was among the few men of honour left in Nigeria, who was not afraid to speak truth to power.
“In his usual frank method, Prof. Soyinka spoke the truth about the anti-democratic actions of the members of the Obidents movement, who have morphed themselves into Neoliberal Fascist movement.”
The group said Nigeria’s fragile democracy was built on the sacrifice of Yoruba activists, who fought with courage against colonialism, beginning from the 19th century, confronted military rule and feudalism all of which tended to stunt Nigeria’s rise to global fame.
