•Says he’s acting like Trump with do-or-die provocation
•Declares his position as an intimidation of judiciary
Chuks Okocha in Abuja
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday, insisted that the comments by the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed on the just concluded presidential poll was fascistic, menacing and unacceptable in a democracy.
Soyinka, who likened Baba-Ahmed’s commentaries to those of former United States President, Donald Trump with his do-or-die provocation, further declared his commentaries as a palpable intimidation of the nation’s judiciary.
He also explained why he advised the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to leave the stage and encourage as well as mentor the younger politicians.
The Nobel Laureate, who spoke on the Arise News television, said, “I never heard anyone threaten the judiciary the way I heard Datti speaking. Blackmailing attitude. Do or die provocation is not what we are struggling for.”
Soyinka, who condemned the LP vice-presidential candidate, who spoke during an interview with Channels TV’s Seun Okinbaloye on Politics Today, said he deemed his comments as menacing and could incite national discord.
“Datti kept saying the Supreme Court better give his comments 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,” he added.
Soyinka further accused the media of jeopardising public discourse by taking a stance in reporting political matters rather than objectively putting out news for public analysis, especially regarding the statements made by the vice-presidential candidate.
Insisting that the comments were alienating the supporters of the party and fanning the flames of fascism in politics, Soyinka equally condemned the attacks on non-indigenes in various states, where violence broke out during the presidential and gubernatorial elections, and described it as disgraceful and shameful.
According to him, before the presidential election when Atiku and Tinubu visited him, he advised that they should leave the political stage and allow fresh blood they could mentor.
