NAIJA NEWS
The Labour Party (LP) has disagreed with Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka on his position on the outcome of the 2023 presidential election as regards its candidate, Peter Obi.
The party in a statement on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh condemned the statement by Soyinka and added that the literary giant is speaking based on information given to him by those who share the ‘Emilokan sentiment’.”
Naija News recalls Soyinka on Wednesday at an event in South Africa, claimed that Peter Obi did not win the February 25, 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. He further stated that the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) knows that Obi did not win the election and is trying to force their lies on others.
The Nobel laureate stated this while speaking at an event titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue” organised by Africa in the World.
However, in a response on Thursday, the LP spokesperson said Soyinka as a human being, has been overtaken by emotions based on what some people told him.
The statement added that Soyinka was in Lagos, Nigeria during the election and witnessed the violence that marred the polls in certain locations in the country even right under his nose but failed to condemn such actions.
Obiorah added that while the Labour Party would not want to join issues with Soyinka too much because of his respected status and the fact that the presidential election outcome is pending in court, it remains important to point out Soyinka’s wrong prognosis and the expectation for him to remain a statesman.
The party in the statement said, “We understand that the literary giant is human and thus susceptible to emotions and probably said what he said based on information made available to him by those who share the ‘Emilokan sentiment’.”
“The Labour Party took note of the statement that emanated from the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka who as an institution we have the utmost respect for. He is a Nigerian whose accomplishments in the literary world are without doubt intimidating.
“However, we beg to disagree with his prognosis and personal opinion on the performance of our party during the 2023 general elections. The facts are before the courts and out of respect for our judiciary, we will reserve our comments until the Supreme Court makes a final pronouncement.”
“In Yoruba, ‘Gbajue’ refers to fraudulent activities like age, name or certificate forgery, 419 or narcotics trafficking, all of which are issues in the 2023 elections but not on the Labour Party’s part.
“‘Gbajue’ in Yoruba also literally means ‘slap him/her in the face.’ Have all Nigerians not been slapped sufficiently in the face? Thanks to this man of letters for bringing this out albeit, advertently.
“It’s rather interesting that the erudite Prof. Soyinka who owned up to having an electoral “monitoring unit” conveniently glossed over INEC’s legerdemain leading to substantial non compliance and erosion of constitutional dictates, just as he conveniently glossed over the INEC’s advanced ‘gbajue’ of 25 February that has surreptitiously installed the King of ‘gbajue’ in Aso Rock.
“It is most befuddling as well as disconcerting that a detribalized and activist Soyinka would succumb to the groupthink syndrome that subscribes to State Capture by those belonging to the criminal fringe by any means, based on primordial…
