Says Nobel laureate ‘double faced‘
Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
The Labour Party has lampooned Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, over his “double-faced” position and “jaundiced assessment” of the 2023 presidential poll.
LP also tongue-lashed the octogenarian for accusing the party of attempting to deceive Nigerians into believing that its presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, won the February 25 poll.
Labour party’s bashing is coming on the heels of a recent comment by Soyinka at an event in South Africa, that LP knew that its candidate did not win the presidential election, yet the party was trying to deceive the youths.
According to Soyinka, the Labour Party knew that Obi came third yet, the leadership of his party persisted on playing ‘Gbajue’ (a Yoruba word for trying to force a lie) on Nigerians.
But in a swift reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement released late Thursday evening, said Soyinka’s remarks were not statesmanlike.
The party expressed disappointment over Soyinka’s double-faced position on national issues while claiming to be a statesman.
In the statement entitled: “Soyinka: Statesmen are not double-faced, not blind to truth,” LP expressed utter disbelief that a Noble Laureate like Soyinka could descend so low to making clannish remarks.
The party accused Soyinka of suffering from “groupthink syndrome based on primordial considerations.”
The statement made available to Ikengaonline read in part: “The Labour Party took note of the statement that emanated from the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka who is an institution we have the utmost respect for. He is a Nigerian whose accomplishments in the literary world is 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.
“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.’
“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 detribalised 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 considerations.”
“We really appreciate him for at least giving some credits to Labour Party and its Presidential candidate for breaking the monopoly of power hitherto held by the two other parties.
“We also noted his admission of his willingness to be part of a demonstration which would be based on the banner of truth.”
LP wondered why a supposed statesman who maintained criminal silence over the attacks against non-indigenes and members of the opposition in Lagos during and even after the polls would have the morality to pass comment on the LP candidate.
“However, we are aware that Soyinka resides in Lagos state and he was in Nigeria in February 25 when elections held in Nigeria.
“He watched probably with a glee when a certain individual in Lagos warned non-indigenes to vote a particular political party or risk being deported to their place of birth, and he never condemned it.
“He was there where ballot boxes were snatched by thugs in a polling booth right in front of his house, he didn’t condemned it.
“We are still looking for where he came out to condemn the unprovoked attacks on our supporters in Lagos by members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, during the last elections.”
LP also wondered how Soyinka who never passed a comment over the controversial “technical glitch” claims by INEC as reason for not uploading the presidential poll results, could suddenly wake from his slumber to make derogatory remarks on the party’s presidential candidate.
“The whole world followed the 2023 general election in Nigeria and there was a global condemnation of not only the outcome of the election but also the process, particularly, the ‘glitching’ incidence that occured only during the transmission of presidential result to IREV.
“As someone who is known to demonstrate based on truth, we didn’t hear as much as a whisper from Kongi reminding INEC to stand by its words.
“He also watched when Labour Party provided evidences of several defaced result sheets permitted and uploaded to the IREV by INEC particularly in places where Labour Party won, again the great Soyinka was astonishingly mute.
“We will not allege selective amnesia as the reason for Soyinka’s wrong prognosis but we would have expected him to be a statesman which we thought he was by remaining on the side of caution and not exhibiting the dual character of someone who may be blinded by some chauvinistic tendencies.
“We would rather keep our impression about his recent dual personality with us. We want to also let him know that building a New Nigeria is a dream whose time has come and Nigerian youths will not relent until such a dream is realised.”
